


The Wedding Crisis

by Malkuthe



Series: Music the Dead Can Dance By [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Fluff, Gay, Gay Rights, Gay Sex, Gay Wedding Planner!Hera, Gay Wedding Planner!Hera is totes headcanon, He Plans Weddings, It's not going to go away!, M/M, Might be a little crack!fic-y, That Fucking Clay Jar, Zeus Likes New Hera Better!, no seriously, solangelo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-18
Updated: 2014-11-04
Packaged: 2018-02-21 17:04:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2475770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malkuthe/pseuds/Malkuthe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marriage redefined has immense implications, not only globally, but even beyond the mortal world. Caught up in this change, Hera, Queen of the Gods, is transformed into Hera, King Consort of the Gods, and to take her place as the patron deity of womanhood, Gyneia is born.</p><p>As hard-headed as ever, Hera meddles in the affairs of mortals, and restores memories purposefully stripped from two men who were once sons of Ares and Mars. This simple, ignorant, and ultimately done-in-good-faith act sparks the beginnings of war on Olympus, despite Hestia’s best to intervene.</p><p>Unfortunately for the two young demigod lovers, Nico di Angelo and Will Solace, their fathers’ plans to maintain alliance and protect them hurl them right into the middle of the growing storm. So much for respite after the second Gigantomachy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: None of the characters in this fic belong to me, they belong to their respective authors. If you don't like gay sex, then go away. If you are not of the age of consent or it is otherwise illegal to view this kind of content for your jurisdiction, please turn away now. For the purposes of this fic, assume that all characters involved in scenes of an explicit nature are of legal age.
> 
> Now that that's out of the way, hello and welcome to another of my SolAngelo fics! It's a bit crack!-ey but I like it. I know it might sound a bit strange at first, Male!Hera and all, but bear with me. I'll explain the headcanon involved as we go. But for now, I do hope you like it. :D.
> 
> If you liked [Clay Jar Pornography](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2464535/chapters/5464448) then you should like this one too. Enjoy!

It had been a very drunken night on Olympus.

Why they had all been drunk out of their minds, no one could remember. It was all in celebration of the defeat of Gaea. Why they held it nearly a month after the earth-mother had been vanquished? No one had an answer, just that the gods moved in mysterious ways. Unlikely. The gods had probably just been far too lazy to do the requisite wave of the hand to make feast and drink appear. Needless to say, it had been one heck of a party in the halls of Olympus.

While the gods were incapable of hangovers, they were very much capable of inebriation, as Dionysus was often proof of. Zeus did not know why he’d let his idiot brother talk him into drinking so much. Hades had been every bit a stick in the mud as he usually was, but this was one of the few times Zeus wished he had better control like his other brother. Needless to say, he did not really realize just how drunk he had been until the morning after, when, as he woke from the drink-induced stupor of the night, he had not a hangover, but a rather beautiful man in bed with him.

If the King had not felt quite gobsmacked before, he definitely was now. Hera was going to kill him. Someway, somehow, he just knew that his wife would find some way to take down the King of Olympus and end him for having _another_ affair. It didn’t help that the other man was obviously immortal, and obviously a god of _something_. Zeus had never seen him before, which made the mystery all the more anxiety-inducing. Nevertheless, Zeus certainly had no recollection of _sleeping_ with another man.

In fact, if he recalled correctly, and he probably did, the previous night had been one of the best nights in his bed with Hera. Something had changed about her, at some point during the party, and she was so much less of the cold bitch she’d become in recent times. “Who are you and what are you doing in my chambers?” demanded the King of the gods, finally having had his fill of speculation about the strange man in his bed. “I am a man married and it is my wife that should be here, not some infidel like you.”

The man yawned, and stretched his arms, revealing a musculature that Zeus couldn’t help but admit to salivating over. Just a little… Maybe a lot. But that was beyond the point. Hera was _still_ going to kill him. “What on earth are you talking about, dear husband?” said the strange god in the bed, as though the question was invalid, and that he should have known the answer already. While the other god’s face was chiseled and shaped in a way that was quite attractive to the King, the tawny brown eyes were unmistakable, even more so when for the briefest of moments the visage of Hera replaced the other god.

“Now come back to bed and let me enjoy you as I have not been able to for the longest time” teased the god with a rich, deep chuckle that made Zeus tingle all over. He should have dragged his wife… well, husband… out of bed, to someone who could possibly explain the situation, but as was always the matter with Lord Zeus, it was not often the head on his shoulders that did the thinking. This time, the head on his cock, that had sprung up like a spring-loaded pole when the sheets had slid to reveal a sculpted chest, was doing the thinking.

The manhood of the King had other things in mind, and especially places that it wanted to be. Excited and titillated in a way that he had not been for so very long, the god of thunder leapt onto the bed he had shared with his wife for so long, and tore the silken sheets, fit only for the greatest of kings, free from the mattress. He beheld the sheer masculinity of the new Hera with a slightly awe-struck gaze, and lust-filled eyes.

“I may one day regret this…” whispered the King, to which the man reclining against the fluffed pillows, with dark hair billowing about his head like a halo of glory, responded with a knowing smile. “But by the heavens, my dear wife—” They both frowned at the same time. This was going to get some getting used to. “—husband, you have never looked more delectable than you do now spread underneath me like this, with your body primed for me to enjoy…” There was no denying that Hera was getting more than a little bit excited by the situation as well.

A rather formidable manhood that still paled in comparison to Zeus’ jutted out of the once-goddess-now-beautiful-beyond-compare-god’s groin. Face flushed with the heat of their closeness, Zeus brushed his lips against his husband’s. Heavens that was going to take some getting used to, but if it meant that he would have such a specimen of maleness as this for his own, the King of the gods would get used to it without second thought. Their members slid against each other, and neither could help the gasp that the blissful friction drew from them.

“Nor have you, my King” responded Hera, breathless underneath his kingly lover. Not even he understood why he was all of a sudden male, but unlike the time when the Roman and Greek aspects of the gods were battling, he did not seem to have any trouble with this new persona. Why? He couldn’t tell yet. It had been quite the sudden change. “I have never felt my loins burn with want for you more than I have this day, brother.” Perhaps for a mere mortal the words would have killed the mood, but for some reason, it only inflamed Zeus.

A rather flustered red blossomed against Hera’s cheeks as his husband took to suckling the tender flesh between his neck and his lower jaw. There was no stubble there, only smooth skin that only served to further drive the King mad with lust. “My King why do you insist on looking so wizened?” asked Hera, summoning the strength into his hands to tip the King’s head upwards so that he might look into his husband’s eyes. “Would you not like to recall with me the days of your youth?” Zeus gulped. He’d rather liked looking quite aged, as it made him look more formidable.

However, seeing Hera’s rather youthful splendour threw all thoughts of that out of the window. As his face and body changed to match more his lover’s, Hera sucked in a breath, the pillar of flesh warm against Zeus’ thigh pulsed in arousal. “Would this serve to give you bliss, dear husband?” said Zeus, the term of endearment rolling off his tongue in the same way a word not often used did. Nevertheless, he meant the endearment. Something had changed overnight and while he had to get to the bottom of it as the ruler of Olympus, a part of him did not want it to change.

Now if only he could convince his husband to let Ganymede join in all the fun. “Heavens yes, Zeus” groaned the newly-male god of marriage. Hera did not think it possible, but somehow, this younger form of Zeus seemed to emanate an even greater amount of sheer sexuality than his older form. His entrance pulsed as Zeus kissed him softly, gently down the flesh of his neck. He shivered as the god’s fingers traced lightly down his sides, leaving what felt like trails of fire in their wake.

Hera moaned and writhed under the rather skillfull and often-unseen side of Zeus that had made it apparent to him at that very moment. He was being treated so gently, so lovingly, it was difficult to believe that this was the same deity that had been his unfaithful husband for the last handful of millennia. However, there was something else that he was tingling all over for, and it wasn’t the half-hearted bucking and thrusting the king of the gods often did when they lay together when Hera was still a woman.

“Do you want to give me joy as I have never felt in your arms, husband?” The slight, but otherwise pleasurable pain of Zeus biting down on the supple flesh that covered his collarbone was enough of an answer. Hera gasped, his fingers clawing into Zeus’ back from the unexpected wave of arousal that washed through him. “Then take me as you would one of your paramours. They all seemed so much happier after you’d had your way with them. I wish for that, husband. Make it so.” The King of the gods growled possessively and clutched his husband, with invigorated want, to his chest.

Hera wilfully came away with Zeus’ arms and wrapped his around the King’s neck, clinging on for dear life as he spread his legs to perhaps coax the God of Thunder to take him sooner. The man was not disappointed. Zeus’ hands crawled down Hera’s back, leaving behind flushed skin in their wake. The God of Marriage had never felt so sensitive before, but perhaps it was all because he and his husband were technically making love for the first time again. This time, Hera knew that there was something in Zeus that had not been there before.

The roaming hands of the King found the soft, supple globes of the other god’s ass and gave them a playful squeeze. Unused to the treatment, but quite liking it, Hera gasped and pressed himself closer to his husband. “I see you like that, dear” drawled Zeus in Hera’s ear, nipping at the lobe and driving the other halfway up the wall with want. Hera did not have to wait much longer. The King of the Gods used his hands to tease the cheeks of Hera’s ass apart, his index finger swirling around the puckered entrance, prodding it, playing with it, until it loosened, and he plunged in.

On that day, at that moment, a simultaneous scream of pleasure from both deities rang through the halls of their palace in lofty Olympus. It was a sound of pure, unadulterated bliss, the likes of which had never graced the bed that Lord Zeus shared with his once-wife, now-husband. Perhaps it was to usher in a new era of peace, but if there was one thing that was sure about the gods of Old Olympus, it was that trouble seemed to follow them wherever they went and whatever they did, no matter how innocent.

Mere moments later, a rather shocking lack of endurance from the King famed for his prowess in bed, the two deities came with shuddering climax. Zeus painting his new-but-not-really husband’s inner channel white with his godly seed, and Hera spewing his own thick nectar into the space between their bellies where it mingled with the pre-cum that had been dripping almost perpetually, sticking them together in a renewal of the union that they had undergone when they first built their Olympian empire. Panting, both lovers fell to the bed, quite spent, but altogether satisfied.

“Why have we never done this before, dear husband?” whispered Hera through short pants of breath as he unwound himself from around his King. “Why has it never felt so… right before?” The once-goddess, now-god of marriage rolled onto his side and placed his hand on Zeus’ heaving chest. They were both spent in a way they had never been together before. It was glorious. Heavenly. Hera found himself wondering why he had never taken the form of a man before. He realized it probably went against what his domain had been. That didn’t answer why he could do it now.

“I have no answer, husband” said Zeus, the deep, rich laugh of the King of Olympus reverberating in the bedchamber. “Were you a man before today?”

Hera had the grace to blush. Of course he did.


	2. Chapter 2

Nico di Angelo was red-faced as he sat on his bed, with his ever-loving, ever-caring, ever-annoying-the-fuck-out-of-him-with-incessant-worrying-about-his-safety boyfriend and son of Apollo, Will Solace, fussing over the lump growing in the side of his head. The Italian felt like his face was on fire. It was one thing to, for some inexplicable reason, consistently lose the duels he had with his boyfriend for the privilege of topping, not that he minded bottoming for the blond, but it was another to try a new strategy and fail so spectacularly at it.

The son of Hades just _knew_ that if his father had not yet looked away in disgust, he was probably slamming his head against a desk right about now. There was, however, an even more puzzling thing that had happened. Seemingly from out of nowhere, Will had brought out an ice pack to help with the growing lump on the Italian’s head. “Where on earth did you get this thing, Solace?” asked Nico, hissing as it was pressed down on the rather tender spot. Will blushed and refused to answer. “Oh. Oh. Is that… Solace! Did you really think I would hurt myself often enough? Where did you hide it?”

There was a rather pathetic attempt at concealing the box that somehow the son of Apollo had managed to hide under Nico’s bed, but he heard the scraping against the floor of the cabin. “No! Not at all! I don’t know what you’re talking about, Nico” said Will, fervently shaking his head from side to side in denial. “Now sit still!” The smaller boy felt strong hands on his shoulders that kept him sitting on the bed. “Don’t even think about shadow-traveling.”

“Sit still and let me take care of this lump for you!” growled the head-physician. There was a difference between Will Solace the ‘doctor’ and Will Solace the loving boyfriend, and, as Nico was beginning to get better at telling, he was currently under the watch of the former, even if he liked the latter more. His boyfriend could be a pain in the ass, but Will as the ‘doctor’ was the kind of person that would chain you to a bed if he thought it would make you rest better. Nico turned scarlet at the thought of being chained to the bed.

Nico hissed as the ice pack was pressed even more onto his head. “Why do you have to be so fucking rough, Solace?” demanded Nico with a smidge of annoyance palpable in his voice. “And I know you hid a first-aid kit under my bed. It’s not like I’m dea—AUGH!” Nico swatted away Will’s hand when the son of Apollo accidentally pressed a little bit too hard. “I’m not a fragile doll, Will!” The son of Apollo opened his mouth to protest, to say that even so, Nico never knew what could happen. “I went through Tartarus alone, for fuck’s sake!”

Well _that_ did it. The whole mood in the cabin changed. It was almost as though the temperature inside dropped by a couple of degrees just by evoking the name of that primal god, that dreadful place. Nico was sure his boyfriend could feel the subtle tremor that ran through his body. “I-I’m sorry…” apologized the golden-haired son of the God of Music. The stern expression on Will’s face had softened, replaced by worry. “I didn’t mean to…” Now Nico felt bad. “I just… I don’t want to see you getting hurt”

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of Nico’s face, but it turned into a warm, appreciative one as the ice pack fell by the wayside and he felt the arms of his lover wrap around him to bring him into a tight embrace. He was getting better with the whole close proximity thing. Maybe the sex was helping. Gods the sex was fantastic. It helped drive away the bitter memories of days long gone. Nico could feel his face heating up just from thinking about it, although, the time was probably not the most appropriate for such perverted musings. But what could he do? He was a hormonal teenager.

“I’m sorry too…” said Nico letting himself be drawn deeper into the embrace. “I’m just not… used… to this whole people caring about me thing.” The hug tightened. Nico smiled. He felt warm. “You’re right. I don’t know when or how I get hurt. Thank you for the first aid kit… I’m sure you would have done the same thing for anyone else.” The Italian heard a small choking sound from the blond that was hugging him and his eyes widened. “You… Solace. Tell me you didn’t.”

Nico broke free of the hug and observed the sheepish smile on Will’s face as he knelt and retrieved another first-aid kit from under Hazel’s bed. “… Really?” asked Nico, incredulous. “Have you done this to _every_ cabin?” There was almost a crushed look of disappointment on the healer’s face. Nico took that as a no. “Why ours, then? And _when_ did you do this? How could I not have noticed?” A mischievous smirk split Will’s face.

“I have my ways, angel” Nico still bristled at that nickname sometimes, but something about Will just made it endearing at the same time. Annoying and endearing. There were probably no two words better suited at describing the person he’d fallen in love with than those two. “Well. Yours is the only one I’ve been able to go to regularly enough…” admitted the son of Apollo. “And it’s not like _my_ cabin needs it.” Will jumped back on the bed and ruffled Nico’s hair, much to his chagrin. It was difficult enough to get just the way he wanted to. “Besides. You seem to like to attract trouble to yourself” said Will with a laugh. Nico smiled, ruefully. It was true, but that didn’t mean he liked it.

“Yeah. Trouble. Like you.” Will mocked offense. “Well. When you go, take that damn clay jar with you!” the son of Apollo started laughing. It wasn’t like him to laugh at other people’s misfortune, but it had just been too funny, and he had forced his laughter down to make sure Nico was okay right after the incident. He’d been holding it back for about half an hour at this point. “It’s not funny!” protested Nico, red in the face, though evidently, Will thought otherwise. The son of Hades, while trying to sneak up on Will, had tripped on the clay jar he’d forgotten was still there.

“I thought you didn’t want to see me get hurt!” said the son of Hades with a pout that he hoped would make his boyfriend stop. He didn’t even know why he kept trying. It wasn’t like it was going to work on Will anytime soon.

“No, I don’t! But you’re not hurt anymore, are you?” retorted Will, laughing uproariously as he finished.

\----------

It had been about a month since Gaea’s defeat at the united hands of the Greeks and the Romans. The gods were probably way past overdue for another crisis, mused the King of the Gods, as he watched his once-wife, now-husband Hera convulse and keep switching between his or her male and female forms. It was disorientating, and truthfully, it was a bit discomfiting watching such a radical personality conflict. The fighting between the Greek and Roman sides had been bad, yes, but they were mostly the same. There had never been a time when one of the gods had rapidly begun switching between male and female. _That_ would have been a spectacle to behold. Zeus was about to rise from the bed to call for his son or the Fates, when the convulsions stopped.

He watched with rapt attention as Hera stabilized as male and a figure similar in many ways to his old form, materialized as a projection over his body that gradually clambered out of it. The God of Thunder, it seemed, was witnessing the birth of a new goddess. She looked very much like Hera, though her eyes were silver and her hair was that of burnished bronze. As she stepped off the bed, she gained opacity and form, and silken robes like those worn by the other goddesses wrapped around her as though from thin air.

“My King” she said, curtsying low before Zeus. She looked disturbingly like his once-wife. He blinked for a moment, unresponsive. “I am Gyneia, goddess born from the part of Hera’s domain he can no longer preside.” From the looks of her, with the kind motherly expression that Hera never seemed to truly have, Zeus could only assume that she meant the womanhood and childbirth part of Hera’s domain. If that was true, then it meant that Hera was likely stuck as a man, unless something radical happened again. Zeus rubbed his temples with his thumb and forefinger.

King of the Gods and powerful as he was, he hadn’t the faintest idea what the ramifications of Hera being stuck in a male form would be. As much as he quite liked his essentially-new husband, he didn’t know if he wanted to suffer through another crisis because of it. Before he could say anything, though, Hera, who had fallen unconscious as a result of the fracturing of his domain, stirred and cracked open his eyes. “Ooh. Heavens. Dear I feel lighter than ever.” Zeus raised an eyebrow at Hera, though he had to wonder if Hera needed a new name.

“I suppose you can say that…” said the King of the gods, eyes never once leaving the new goddess that his husband had spawned for some unfathomable reason. It was beyond even the scope of his wisdom as the King of Olympus. “Husband. This is Gyneia. She is taking over the domain of motherhood and women as you may very well, and should very well know you are particularly indisposed at ruling at this moment.” The Zeus of earlier had been replaced with the more stoic, and often ill-tempered Zeus that was his face to the rest of the world.

“Ah” said Hera, a small sound of disappointment in his throat at losing half of his domain. Nevertheless, he could sense the scope of marriage had just gotten much larger. “Pleasure to meet you” said the God of Marriage, extending a hand in a gesture that would have been quite foreign to his old self. “May the halls of Olympus be brightened by your presence, Gyneia.” The goddess smiled and took Hera’s hand in her own, squeezing it gently. Her face was definitely motherly. Hera couldn’t help but feel a _little_ jealous.

“And a pleasure to meet you as well, father” said Gyneia in response. Hera looked to Zeus and smiled, but Gyneia shook her head and regarded Hera with a level gaze. “No, you are my father.” Gyneia laughed, a genuine lilt of joy in her voice at the look of surprise and downright shock on Hera’s face. Considering he was a man sleeping with another man, in fact married to another man, he had not thought he would give birth to another deity. The last time that a goddess had spontaneously arisen from another god was Athena’s parthenogenesis, and that had taken the drastic measure of splitting Zeus’ skull open to manage.

“As touching this family reunion might be, this turn of events is most troubling” said Zeus, voice flat, but eyes unable to hide the sparkle of _something_ that Hera could see. Was it finally that his husband had taken quite the liking for him and was glad to see such a scene? He would have to press at a later time. The King seemed to have other things in mind. “Come, both of you. I have a godly son I must consult.” That, and rebuke. The King had finally realized what might have happened.

And if what he thought had come to pass had indeed come to pass, then there were a few harsh words reserved solely for the son of his that had reassured him that this whole thing with Hera would not occur. Gift of prophecy. Bah! It did not help them at all during the second gigantomachy. Nevertheless, maybe Apollo would know something more of the matter. There were definitely some days that Zeus wished Helios Panoptes was still with them. Perhaps if he believed strongly enough, the faded god would return. Wishful thinking. They all knew that fading was eternal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. This is what I've got ready for you so far. It's going to span a number of chapters. This is going to be a _lot_ longer than Clay Jar Pornography, but I do hope that you like it enough to bear with it. :D
> 
> I'd like to hear what you think. There's nothing that helps a writer's motivation more than getting some feedback. Please leave kudos if you like the story, leave feedback if you want to leave me some input. I'd love to see all of it. But for now, I'd like to pose you a question, what do you think of the concept of alternative marriage causing Hera to become almost someone else entirely?
> 
> I'd love to hear from you! And there will be more to come over the next few days! Enjoy. <3


	3. Chapter 3

Apollo was idly, forlornly strumming his lyre whilst draped over a chair, the Valdezinator gathering a little dust in the one corner of his chambers. He felt every bit the petulant child, only he was grounded by a parent most would consider rather intimidating. Truth be told he was more than a little fearful of incurring further wrath from Zeus, so he’d meekly gone to his rooms as his father had ordered. The last thing Apollo would have expected, being a god and all, with purview over a rather vast domain, was to be grounded like a teenager who had done something stupid.

Okay, he admitted. He had done something stupid, but that didn’t automatically make him a teenager! To add further insult to injury _and_ the insult of being grounded, the Valdezinator refused to work in his hands like it had in the hands of that _child._ He was the god of music! He had mastered the lyre really easily! This was not supposed to happen! How could a mere _demigod_ have created an instrument that dumbfounded him? He was not about to admit defeat. No, he had all eternity, and if he had to go into the realm of Hades to rub it in Leo’s face, he would.

Nevertheless, he did not expect the entourage of gods that strode into his room, unceremoniously, and without warning. The heavy marble doors were flung open by his father, who seemed rather irate. He was flanked by the queen, though Hera looked rather different, and a significantly attractive male immortal whom Apollo had never seen before. His father, in fact, was also looking quite dapper. When the King had decided to take on the form of a younger, more fit, less wizened man, the God of Prophecy couldn’t tell. He bowed to Zeus. “Father. My Queen.”

Hera seemed surprised. Apollo was a little bit unsure of her himself. She looked different. He never remembered the Queen having that colour hair. Maybe it was for the same reason that Zeus was looking quite young and handsome himself again. Did he just call his father handsome? Apollo tried his best not to gag. Zeus was the King of the Gods and all, and thus had every right to be as attractive as he damn well pleased, but it was still odd and honestly partly sickening to think of Zeus as attractive.

“Apollo” came the curt response. Once all three other deities were inside the room, the doors slammed shut behind them with a dull boom that could probably be heard throughout all Olympus. His father’s expression was unreadable, although there was both anger and a rare touch of genuine happiness that seemed to emanate from the King. Zeus stopped and stood in front of Apollo, tapping his feet as though expecting his son to do _something_. The God of Music _did_ something. He stood up and looked his father in the eye. Was that not what Zeus wanted?

The God of Prophecy’s eyes darted towards the other male god in the room and smiled genially at him. “Who is this that you see fit to bring into my presence father?” Heavens above, that other man was quite gorgeous. Was he an immortal son of Aphrodite? Apollo winked at the man who chuckled. He walked over to the god and took his hand. “You are rather a lovely specimen of the male physique. It would be my honour if you could give me some _company_ , if you’d wish.” The other male ended up laughing as Apollo kissed his knuckles. Zeus looked incensed.

“Apollo. If you were not so taken by your lusts, you should have recognized him as my _beloved_ —” was that a hint of jealousy in Zeus’ voice? Hera took note. Maybe if he got Zeus jealous enough, he’d get shown whom he really belonged to in a spectacular fashion that would leave a mere mortal walking bowlegged for the better part of a month. “ _Husband._ ” Apollo’s eyes very nearly bugged out of his head as he rather rudely realized exactly who it was he was talking to.

Zeus could not justifiably blame Apollo for not instantly recognizing the man as Hera. After all, Hera’s dominion had just been split in half between him and Gyneia. Perhaps the ‘feeling’ of Hera-ness was still in flux between Hera and Gyneia, and would settle after a little bit more time. Regardless, it was still rather ungodly of Apollo to not at least _try_ to figure out who the other god was.

Perhaps the problem with the gift of prophecy was messing with his mind. Either way, Apollo gagged and turned away to excuse himself. He had been not-so-subtly flirting with the once-wife, now-husband, once-jealous-bitch Hera. Why did she have to turn into one of the most beautiful men he had ever seen? He wished he could pass out, but unfortunately, that wasn’t a choice for a god, unless in quite dire circumstances. “Regardless. I have come to ask you about a reassurance that you gave me a few decades past.” Apollo, at first, didn’t recall. Then, he visibly blanched.

“Y-yes, Father?” there was anger but also an underlying gratitude in the glare that Zeus shot him after he acknowledged the King’s words. “I-I do remember that reassurance.” The eyes trained on him narrowed, and he cleared his throat.

“And I do recall that you told me _specifically_ to not worry, and that this would not happen” said Zeus, gesturing at his husband and his husbands daughter who looked exactly like his husband had when his husband had still been his wife. “Whatever happened to _that_ reassurance?” Zeus took a step closer. Apollo took a step back. Intimidating. He did not want to get struck by a lightning-bolt, _or_ get grounded like Dionysus. Being grounded on Olympus was suffering enough. If he got grounded like Dionysus, he would likely not have access to music!

Blue eyes widened in terror and he flung himself at the feet of his father, an absolutely terrified wreck. “I did not know father. I did not foretell anything. The Gift did not tell me anything.” Zeus’ nostrils flared in further rage. “Please don’t take away my music!” There was a rather distinctive sound as an instrument hit the floor in front of Apollo. I was a triangle. “Oh you wouldn’t, father. Father forgive me!” cried out the sun-god. “I was merely saying that day that I did not think the movement would gain as much traction as it did. Forgive me!”

“So you lied to me” said Zeus, the heavens turning dark as his anger bubbled inside of him. Gyneia watched, amused, while Hera looked rather horror-stricken. “Apollo, for this crime I sentence you to a similar fate as your brother Dionysu—” Hera had taken a step forward. “—Mmmph!” He had grabbed Zeus by the collar and kissed him before he could make his proclamation. The skies cleared as his anger subsided. That was new, mused Apollo as he clambered back to his feet, trembling a little. Oh he would have wished for sweet, sweet death right then and there rather than spend the rest of his days for the foreseeable — it really wasn’t — future as a grumpy, irate, grounded god like Dionysus.

“Husband!” said Zeus, after the kiss had ended. He had not wanted to interrupt it. There was a stirring in his loins. By the Graces, he had never felt so lusty before. The prominence in Zeus’ robes, right around groin was painfully visible for Apollo. Again, the God of Prophecy gagged. He was one to appreciate the male physique. After all, he’d fallen in love with Hyacinthus. But in truth, he never wanted to see _that_ from his father.

“Do that again, Hera, and I will—” Zeus practically melted into the next one. “—MMPH!” he protested, weakly. It was a pathetic charade, really, with the King of the Gods trying and evidently failing, to maintain the same almost-frigid countenance that he so often graced the world with. It seemed as though the new Hera had something of a positive effect on Apollo’s father. Where that positive effect would lead, the God of Music did not want to know, nor did he want to think about it. He just wished he could forget, or that the Gift was working so that he could have known what was coming and averted his eyes to avoid it.

When Hera pulled away, Gyneia smirking, because that was something that Hera as a woman had never been able to do, laughed. Zeus looked as though he was ready to both ravage his husband _and_ throw him into Tartarus for daring to interrupt his anger. Nevertheless, there was no trace of anger left in Zeus’ eyes. Mild annoyance at his incompetent son, perhaps, but no anger. “Do that again, Apollo and I will hurl you down to Camp Half-Blood myself.”

\----------

“How did you do it?” Will piped up in the middle of the night, very nearly scaring the living daylights out of the brooding onyx-haired Italian. He must have been quite obvious, his flinch in surprise triggered a protective instinct in the son of Apollo. Nico had gone through enough hardships, that the last thing Will wanted him to go through was even more. Thankfully, Nico had become more accepting of the concern, though he still wasn’t very open about the things that had happened in Tartarus and even before that. Will didn’t have to be a psychologist to know that there were still demons haunting the other young man.

“Well… I don’t know. I think I just felt that I owed it to myself to clear the air” said Nico, thoughts obviously somewhere else, very far from where Will’s thoughts were. He had been thinking about Percy and how many years of his life he’d spent pining uselessly after the son of the sea-god. Admittedly, there was a number of things to have liked about Percy, but when he’d confessed, and when his eyes had been cleared of their illusions, he realized that much of his infatuation had been with Percy, the larger-than-life demigod and hero of Olympus.

Now that he had more sense in him, well, he felt stupid for having ever felt that way about the goofball demigod. “I was asking about Tartarus, Nico.” The hurt was palpable on Will’s voice. The answer told him that Nico had been thinking about Percy again, and from what he’d gathered from Jason, Nico had experienced nothing but emotional pain when he was still entirely infatuated with the son of Poseidon. “But… Do you want to talk about Percy?” pressed the son of Apollo, feeling a bit insecure.

How does one compare against the hero of Olympus who saved the world? If he had to fight with Percy for Nico’s affections, despite the fact that Percy was pretty happily committed to Annabeth, Will didn’t think he had a chance. “No. No I don’t” said Nico, voice soft in the dark of night. “I wasn’t thinking about Percy…” Will raised an eyebrow. He knew Nico could see it, though he wasn’t even sure the son of Hades could see. “I was thinking about how stupid I was to have been in love with him for so long.”

Will fumbled a bit, but he found Nico’s mop of hair and ruffled it. “You’re not stupid” said the son of Apollo, his find feeling about in the darkness for Nico’s hand and squeezing it. “You were just young, and I don’t blame you. Percy’s got a lot going for him…” Nico harrumphed. As if he didn’t know that yet. “But what about Tartarus?” Nico made a small noise. It hurt Will’s heart just to hear it. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I’m your boyfriend. I love you, and I’m here for you. How… How did you do it alone?”

There was an unspoken question that hung in the air. _“Percy and Annabeth barely made it, and they were together. How did you?”_ Nico felt afraid again, and he shrank back, but thankfully, the heat of the son of Apollo kept him well-grounded. “I don’t know. I just… The world depended on it. Even if I never belonged, and everyone turned me away…” Will made a sound of protest. That was not true. “I… I just knew I had to persevere. If not for myself, but for everyone. Especially… Well…”

Will nodded his head in understanding. “Don’t ever let them call you little, death boy.” Nico laughed bitterly. “Don’t ever think of yourself as worthless, because…” With a bit of manoeuvring, Will managed to get Nico to face him. He looked into the other boy’s eyes and said “Nico, you’re worth more than the world to me. And even if I wasn’t around, you are the bravest soul I’ve ever met. Don’t forget that.” He stroked the side of his angel’s face and smiled, his eyes soft with love that had so quickly blossomed for the other. “You did something that none of us ever could. You survived Tartarus alone, and you _lived_.”

Nico smiled, grateful for the encouragement, but still feeling a little unsure of himself, just like Will. At least, as a couple, they seemed to have common ground, even if it was a little insecurity. They would get through it. They both knew it. They weren’t ever going to let go. Will fell asleep to thoughts of raising a family with Nico, though he could only imagine that the son of Hades would throw a fit if they had noisy babies, while Nico fell asleep imagining Will’s warm embrace around him for all eternity.

Death boy was pretty sure he could call in a favour with his father to house Will in his palace once they passed on from this life. He didn’t want to lose Will to Asphodel, or even to Elysium. He wanted the son of Apollo all to himself, and even as he drifted off, he found himself idly wondering if Will felt the same way about him. Judging from the continuous tightening of the arm around his midriff, the answer was yes. And that, in and of itself, was enough for Nico as he allowed sleep to finally overtake him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter!
> 
> A little bit of 'hero worship' from Will for Nico. I'd like to hear what you think of the story so far. Also. What do you think of possessive!Zeus?
> 
> Leave kudos if you liked the story! Comment if you'd like to leave feedback. It would be much appreciated. <3.


	4. Chapter 4

Zeus and Hera were dining, quite happily, in the privacy of their quarters. The evening had fallen and the sun was nowhere to be seen, even from the pinnacle of Olympus. Gyneia had been generally well-accepted in the King’s palace, and, for the moment, until a palace could be built for her, which Hephaestus was already hard at work on because for once Hera showed him some well-deserved affection, Zeus had made sure she had her own chambers with servants to cater to her. The King had thought that there would be some negative effect of this change in Hera, but as far as he was concerned, the only negative effect was the challenge to his stamina their invigorated relationship posed.

Nevertheless, the King could not quite shake the feeling that a crisis was about to break out, though neither could he shake the feeling that told him not to worry as it wasn’t going to be as big as what Gaea had attempted not too long ago. He stared at his husband from across the table, ambrosia lifted to his lips, but not quite there. If he had known that such a change in the mortal world would change Hera into someone far more agreeable, he would have done something a long time ago, though he supposed that perhaps this was as the Fates decreed.

Hera took notice of his husband’s fascination and decided to have a little fun. After all, they were more like newlyweds at this point, after countless millennia. He never really thought of Zeus as a brother anymore, though even that distinction held very little value for the Olympians. Save perhaps for the Big Three. Hera shuddered at the thought of any of them sleeping with either of the others. It would not end well.

Hera raised a hand and ran his fingers through rich brown hair and winked at his husband. Zeus was almost instantly paying rapt attention to whatever it was that he was doing. They had been subtly flirting through the day, this new Hera somehow capable of breaking through the stoic facade of Zeus with an ease that had never been afforded to his old self. If there were yet corners of the Regnal Palace that they had not made love in, soon enough there would be none. It partly worried Zeus who was quite fond of his reputation, and had a rather stiff sense of what it meant to be King of Olympus, but the sensual bliss that Hera brought him was a bit too good to forgo.

Why hadn’t their relationship been like this earlier? They — the Olympians in general — would have been much better off. There would not have been a need for certain heroes to get cursed, and have all matter of terrible things done to them in the name of Hera’s jealousy. In truth, Zeus might even have been tempted to not have any flings for at least centuries. Needless to say, that was all behind them now.

What was important at the moment was the piece of ambrosia that Hera had popped into his mouth with a second wink at the King of the Gods. He watched, salivating in silence as the other god made the most arousing of sounds that sent vibrations right to the rapidly-stiffening manhood of Zeus right under the low table. The King reclined amongst the cushions on his side of the table, exposing for Hera the tent that had been erected in the fabric of his robes. The other god made a sound of protest. Zeus was only returning the favour.

Then the door swung open with a hollow boom and Poseidon strode in with a rather boisterous laugh and a stupid smile on his face. If Zeus didn’t know better, he would have thought his idiot brother was drunk again. Unfortunately, he wasn’t. He was just being his normal self. Granted it was not the Poseidon that most people saw, but in the privacy of Zeus’ company, the King of the Sea was able to let go of the same cold facade that he had to put on whenever he was attending to matters of his domain and office.

“Brother!” said the Sea God with his thunderous laughter. Zeus _hated_ having Poseidon around. _Why_ hadn’t the Lord of the Seas returned to _his_ domain yet? Hades had gone almost instantly after the celebrations back to the underworld. Zeus rather liked his other brother more than Poseidon, but it just _had_ to be the more annoying one that he got stuck with on Olympus. “I see you’ve pitched a tent!” Hera’s laughter filled the room. “And who is this young beauty?” asked the Sea God, winking at Hera, seemingly unaware of his true identity much like Apollo.

“Oh no, don’t tell me, your newest conquest?” said Poseidon, dropping down to the cushions beside Zeus and elbowing his brother in the side. “Hera would kill you, you know?” said the Sea God, and for once, Zeus felt a twinge of genuine concern from his older brother. It was only momentary, and soon enough, Poseidon was back to poking fun at him. “Now, you may be new here, so you might not know, my brother’s lovers often end up either transformed into animals or dead by Hera’s hand. You’d do well to be wary of sleeping with him.”

Poseidon leaned over much to Zeus’ chagrin and grabbed a piece of food from his plate. The King swatted away the Sea God’s hand but Poseidon only went back for more. _“Fates. How does Jason deal with Jackson?”_ wondered the King of the Gods. Their demigod children seemed to get along just fine, and Zeus _knew_ that both children were very much like their fathers. If only he could Zeus would ask his son for advice. As it stood, he was half-tempted to just slap Poseidon back to the sea. He swatted at Poseidon again when the Sea God reached for more food.

“Now as for me, my wife may get angry, but isn’t nearly as wrathful as Hera.” Poseidon winked at Hera, unknowing, and Zeus could only keep watching in disbelief at what his brother was doing. “So. Care to come with me and avoid probable death?” Zeus grabbed the platter of food away and set it on a far corner of the table where Poseidon could not reach it. He began eating in earnest. He wasn’t hungry, but the scene playing out made him think he was. “Besides, I pitch a bigger tent than my brother does, if you know what I’m saying…”

“No thank you brother…” said Hera, finally unable to contain his laughter as he burst out, nearly folding over in half. He was having far too much fun deceiving their fellow Olympians. Poseidon looked utterly confused. He had never seen this god before in his life, and he was fairly certain he did not have any brothers he did not know of. He would know. He made it a point to make fun of all of his brothers. “As you can see, I already have the company of my beloved husband to gladly share.”

At that point, Zeus was fairly certain his brother’s jaw would detach from his skull and fall all the way into the lap of Hades and possibly further down into Tartarus. Poseidon blanched, then turned a light shade of green. Hera had been one of the most desirable goddesses on Olympus, but that quickly changed when her temperament became known. Needless to say, it was not very desirable for gods who had known Hera all their lives to suddenly, and seemingly irresistibly flirt with his new form. Zeus was beginning to suspect that Hera had taken on the dominion of Manhood and as such seemed to attract every god that had even the slightest desire to sleep with a man.

“Pardon me brother. I believe Amphitrite has called me back. I shall see you… sometime between now and the end of eternity.” A loud whoosh rushed out of Poseidon’s lungs as he stood and shook his head. He strode out of the dining chamber, the doors slamming shut behind him with a dull boom as Zeus and Hera began to laugh. It was one of the few times Zeus had seen his brother genuinely distressed outside of life-threatening situations.

The face Poseidon had made was precious. “My dear husband, perhaps you should try and see if Hades would respond the same way” whispered Zeus, crawling across the table and catching Hera’s lips in his own. He would consult the Fates on the matter of his husband come the morrow. For now, there were other things on his mind, one of them was trying to convince Hera to do the same thing he’d just done to Poseidon to Hades. Zeus genuinely wanted to know how the typically-unflappable Hades would react to Hera’s presence.

“Perhaps, my King, perhaps” drawled the King Consort of the Gods as they broke apart. If the day had been any indication, the night was bound to be a long and fulfilling and quite _filling_ one.

\----------

Nico watched from across the infirmary as Will worked his magic, both figuratively and literally, on the occupants of the rows of beds in the Big House. He was humming to himself and had one of those stupidly endearing smiles on his face. Nico always thought that the other boy always seemed to smile too much for his own good. There was, however, a particular smile that seemed reserved for him.

It wasn’t as wide or toothy as when Will was genuinely enjoying himself, nor was it a wistful smile. It was something entirely its own that managed, without showing teeth, to send the message that Will was happy, and only because he was with Nico, or because he saw Nico. It always managed to melt his heart, and send the hordes of skeletal butterflies in his stomach, that he thought he’d already managed to send on into the afterlife, fluttering back into him. He leaned against the doorframe, careful to not trip anyone, though he’d sworn to himself that if he saw Jackson he would trip the son of the Sea God.

Will looked up from his work a good fifteen minutes after Nico arrived, and noticed the Italian just lingering there, watching him with a strange, almost mesmerized look on his face. He could hear the two Aphrodite children he’d had the ill-wisdom to place together giggling at how the son of Hades seemed lost and absorbed with watching will, the same way the son of Apollo was absorbed in his work. “Hey Death Boy!” he shouted as he approached Nico. The son of Hades was startled. Then he bristled.

“Don’t call me that!” he said, punching Will lightly on the shoulder to the sound of _ooohs_ from the Aphrodite kids. Will needed to get those two separated. It always happened whenever Nico was visiting. The son of Apollo was beginning to suspect that they were purposefully injuring themselves in order to spy on the motions of himself and Nico, which they then relayed to their visiting cabin-members. He ruffled Nico’s hair affectionately. It earned him a rueful glare as the son of Hades tried to get it back into the state he preferred.

“I was wondering maybe—” Nico began, twiddling his fingers, eyes darting nervously at the Aphrodite children. Little less than two months since they’d become official, and _still_ he got nervous about inviting Will to do things. What kind of a boyfriend was he? Even if he knew that they probably weren’t, a part of him was wary of the children of Aphrodite. He felt as though they were judging him. He wilted under their scrutiny.

“Sure!” Will cut in, walking back deeper into the infirmary to take care of a few last minute things before he went on whatever it was that Nico had planned for the both of them. It seemed as though the son of Hades had something special planned. Like he’d noticed before, there was a twinkle in those dark, usually-brooding, but actually quite soft eyes of his boyfriend’s.

“But you don’t even—” said Nico, ducking through the door and following behind his boyfriend, helping wherever he can with the cart of medical supplies that Will usually had to push around. The son of Hades was used to helping out by now around the infirmary. After the three days he’d promised Will, he ended up staying a little bit more over the next few weeks, helping around just because he wanted to spend more time with the demigod with the hair seemingly of fine-spun gold.

“Sure I do! You miss me!” said Will brightly as he forced one of the demigods to drink some nectar. The son of Ares was rather weakly protesting, saying that he could go back to the arena, and that he did not need any dirty son of Apollo telling him what to do. Will silenced that with a strong arm and a thermos of nectar. The protestation he silenced with a mouthful of ambrosia.

There was a moment of silence between the two. As they moved to the next patient, Nico looked sideways at his boyfriend and said, “You’re so full of yourself Solace.” He jabbed the son of Apollo in the side with a finger, as though to emphasize his point.

“Well don’t you?” pressed Will, the question genuine. He looked back and smiled _that_ particular smile at Nico, making the other demigod go a bit weak in the knees. The son of Hades clung to the cart for balance. He didn’t need it very long, but gods did Will know how to get to him in just the right way. The son of Apollo would pay for that. Nico had sworn to find a way to do the same to Will.

Nico blushed. “Well, yeah,” he admitted as Will administered another heavy-handed dose of nectar to the _other_ camper that the Ares kid from before had duelled. Again, he silenced the dissent with ambrosia. The son of Hades was beginning to think that the Hypnos kids were somewhat involved in the running of the Big House infirmary as it seemed as though every time the patients finished their ambrosia, they fell asleep. Nico had to wonder if that had happened to him. He needed to have a good long talk with Will about what exactly happened during those three days.

“Then come on!” said the son of Apollo, a bit too enthusiastically as he pulled at Nico’s arm. The son of Hades let go of the cart a bit too late and it ended up crashing into the foot of one of the beds. It didn’t look like the occupant cared at the moment. She was busy counting the number of invisible celestial bronze horses parading in front of her vision. Did Will have access to general anaesthetics? Because it was beginning to look like he did.

“But—” said Nico, protesting. Well, not really. He _did_ want Will with him, but he was more than a little shocked that it didn’t seem as though the other boy particularly cared what they were doing. He’d already prepared a long spiel about why they should do it. He didn’t want all that hard work to go to waste!

“They can take care of themselves. It’s not like anyone’s fighting anything life-threatening today. Ow!” Nico had hit Will up the back of the head. He should have known better.

“You know—” He was interrupted again. Will talked too much for his own good sometimes!

“Yeah, yeah, don’t tempt the Fates.” Will was changed out of his doctor’s clothes and was into something more presentable in record time. Nico hadn’t even realized they had stopped by his cabin already. Will had a fresh change of clothes there at all times, because he stayed over a lot. Hazel had been back a bit every now and again, but most of the time, his sister seemed to be off doing something for their father. Nico wished he could help, but it looked like Will was ready to risk the wrath of Hades and tell the god off that his son shouldn’t be using his powers a lot just yet.

“Would you—” Pleaded the son of Hades, hands thrown up into the air in exasperation.

“Stop interrupting you?” said Will with a playful smirk.

Nico growled. “Yes! Stop—”

“So what do you have planned?”

“WILL!”

“Yes, dear?”

“Stop—!”

“Are we going for a walk?”

“You are insufferable”

“But you still suffer me.”

“Talk about bad life choices.”

“I’m offended!”

“Oh shut up, Solace.”

Will laughed as he wrapped his arm around Nico’s waist and pulled the smaller boy in for a kiss that left both their knees feeling a bit like jelly, though Nico looked like he was about to fall over. Oh he could definitely get used to this, he mused as he leaned against Will and told the other boy about what he wanted them to do that afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi reader!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'd like to hear your thoughts. <3\. I'd especially like to hear feedback on my characterizations and what you think is going on in the plot currently. Also. What do you think of the gods all ending up flirting with Hera in front of Zeus?
> 
> Leave kudos if you liked the story. Leave comments if you love me and Solangelo! I'd really love the feedback.
> 
> I'll see you soon for the next chapter. If you have any questions for me, you can visit me on my tumblr page(so I can put something else on there) [Malkuthe Highwind](http://malkuthe-highwind.tumblr.com)


	5. Chapter 5

The Fates had been less than forthcoming about what Hera’s transformation and subsequent loss of part of his original domain bore for the future. Zeus hadn’t thought to press the matter. The Celestial Bronze clubs that they’d taken out when he opened his mouth to protest their silence were quite wicked and he didn’t entertain the thought of being beaten senseless by three crones that day. He might have been the King of Olympus, but not even he could control destiny. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop him from grumbling about it on the way back to his dear husband, who, as it turned out, was currently missing.

Gyneia was getting in touch with her domain, getting used to her powers as a goddess, when without warning, the head of Zeus popped into her chambers through the door. “Gyneia, have you seen my husband?” asked the King. The goddess raised an eyebrow at Zeus and shook her head silently. The King shrugged and left, the door sliding shut quietly in his wake. It wasn’t like Zeus couldn’t use his powers to _find_ Hera. As it seemed, however, he was hidden from Zeus’ sight. If he knew anything about his husband from the time Hera had spent as his wife, _that_ fact was unsettling.

Just as Zeus was getting comfortable amongst the cushions in his chambers when his husband strode through the doors, strutting confidently, with the kind of shit-eating grin that the King of Olympus knew meant that he’d just done _something_ stupid that _he_ would have to deal with. Hera was dressed quite smartly, in all actuality, with dress pants and a three-piece suit that would have put to shame the best of Zeus’ formal garb. He carried a briefcase, and the King was inclined to ask about what was in it.

The hostile glare told him he should not. Well. He would know. Eventually. It wasn’t as though Hera could keep things from him for very long. As it turned out, he didn’t have to wait very long as the shadows in one corner unfolded and a rather irate Hades strode through with an accusatory finger pointed at Zeus. “You” growled the God of the Underworld, obviously very angry at some perceived affront by Zeus. The King knew instantly that it probably had to do with Hera. He wasn’t stupid. Anyone with two eyes and even the barest working knowledge of Hera would know that.

“Me?” asked the King, trying a bit of humour. That always seemed to work for Poseidon when he interacted with Hades. Apparently it was a Sea God thing as the God of the Underworld’s glare at his brother intensified. “…I haven’t the faintest idea what you might be angry about, Hades. Out with it” said Zeus, adopting his stern demeanour instead. Obviously Poseidon’s methods weren’t going to work. He was an idiot. That being said, Zeus wasn’t lying. In fact, he was quite curious himself. Hera was fidgeting in his seat.

“Maybe if you had more control over that wife of yours, you _would_ know” snarled the God of the Underworld. “I was happy enough leaving the two alone since they found each other without the help of the gods in this new life of theirs, but Hera has overstepped her boundaries brother.” Hera looked like he wanted to bolt right about then. He’d wanted to try and work his charms on Hades like he’d had on Poseidon, but he was fairly certain he would be unable now that the brooding god was rather angry. “I am a busy god unlike you lot up here on Olympus and your petty dalliances.”

Zeus’ eyes narrowed and the air crackled. One does not simply insult the King of the Gods and Olympus without incurring his ire. “Get to your point, _brother_ ” hissed the King. He’d stretched to his full height. The Master Bolt was in his hands. Hera was trying to melt into the floor. He should have thought his actions through. It had barely even been two months and already another crisis was threatening Olympus because of him. Zeus had tempered since then, but he was fairly certain the repercussions would be harsh, and not in the blissful way that would leave him unable to walk properly for days.

“She violated the laws of mortality!” yelled Hades, himself offended that Zeus seemed to be angry that _he_ was angry about some stupid thing that Hera did. “Two demigods. One of Hermes’ children and one of Ares.’ They were lovers in their first life. They tried for the Isle of the Blessed. This is their _third_ life. They found each other. And they were about to marry. What does your insufferable wife do? She goes and restores their memories.” So that was it. Zeus glared at Hera.

“What’s the point of reincarnation without memory to see if your soul is noble if some goddess takes it upon her to restore your memories in the middle of your last life? I have better things to deal with than this, Zeus. And don’t look at me like that. Don’t think I haven’t heard that you’ve been having your way with this rather…” Hades gulped as his eyes set sight on Hera sitting there trying to look as innocent and bashful as possible. “…handsome young god all over your palace. Deal with your wife, _brother_.”

So it seemed his stick-in-the-mud brother was not immune to Hera’s charms as a man, but he seemed far more resistant against it, unlike his wimp son and idiot brother. “And what do you expect me to do, Hades?” The crackle in the air had rather lessened as Zeus was at the same time thinking about how Hades would react when the other god he’d taken to admiring quite openly at this point, admitted to being Hera. Oh that expression would be faceless. Zeus made a silent oath to himself that he would be there to witness that exchange.

“I don’t know. Maybe shackle her for a little while. Stop the meddling with mortal affairs?” suggested the God of the Underworld lamely. “Maybe if you do that we can stop something like the Gaea crisis from happening.” Hades was tempted to suggest the same of Apollo, but he knew Nico would probably be made unhappy if Zeus actually took his advice and bound Apollo. He kept furtively glancing at the other god in the room. He was almost irresistibly attractive. Nevertheless, he didn’t really want anyone to risk Persephone’s wrath. “And afterwards, allow me to dip those two in the Lethe.”

The doors were flung open with such force that Zeus could have sworn he saw the wall nearby crack. “Is the concept of a private chamber so alien to you gods?” He demanded as Aphrodite strode in, eyes blazing with much the same anger as Hades had had in his eyes. She laid her eyes on Hera, and made a curious sound, but then regarded Hades with a glare again. Zeus’ voice boomed in the chambers. “Am I just furniture over here, brother? Daughter-in-law?” He was ignored, and that merely served to further inflame his anger.

“You will do no such thing, Hades. I will not allow it” snarled Aphrodite. _She_ had been watching the couple for the longest time, quite impressed that their love seemed to transcend the forgetting of their memories and their reincarnations. A bond so strong was worthy of the blessing and protection of the Goddess of Love and Beauty. Hades was threatening that bond, and she would not allow it. “Love like theirs comes rarely over the millennia. You will not tarnish it with this twisted sense of justice of yours.” Hades looked at Zeus as though to tell him to support him.

“Out!” bellowed Zeus, the air crackling with electricity. Hera ducked as a lightning bolt arced from Zeus onto the floor. It was rare to see the King so angry. He wasn’t about to stay as it was becoming quickly obvious that the other two were not going to budge from where they stood, having a glaring competition. “ _Not you!_ ” yelled the King, making the walls of the palace itself tremble. “Brother. Aphrodite. Get out of my chambers. We will address this in the Throne Room.” The two gods looked at him as though he’d sprouted horns. “NOW.”

Hades bowed to Zeus with a sneer as the shadows folded around him and he vanished from sight. Aphrodite huffed at her father-in-law, but smiled at Hera who had been frozen where he stood, halfway between reclining and scrambling to his feet. It wasn’t by any doing of Zeus. He was just terrified of what his husband might do to him. He would rather not be chained and caged again. “Husband” said Zeus, as the crackle in the air fizzled out. “You can be so stupid at times.” Was that it? No rebuke? “You are fortunate I am happy with you at this moment.”

As soon as he’d said the words, Zeus was gone, right out the hall and making his way to the Throne Room as fast as he could.

\----------

Annabeth had stayed the night in Cabin 3. Percy was thankful, but they had dispersed to separate beds in the middle of the night, their thrashing from their mutual nightmares about Tartarus meant that they were knocking each other off the bed at some point during the evening. Nevertheless, Percy was more than a little miffed when he felt a significant weight crawl over him, waking him from a rare pleasant dream.

He assumed it was Annabeth. After all, there wasn’t anyone else in the cabin. Tyson was elsewhere. Percy had told him he didn’t have to go, but the cyclops had insisted since Annabeth was going to be with him. Probably just in case something happened between the two that he did not want to see, or even hear. Percy was fairly certain nothing of the sort would happen, but nevertheless, Tyson had insisted. Percy swatted at the weight on his body and sleepily said “Annabeth. Gerrofmeee.” There was a faint sound of confusion from across the cabin.

All of a sudden, Percy’s eyes shot wide open and he noticed that there was a skeletal sabretooth tiger on his chest, its eyes starting directly at his and glowing faintly in the darkness. He was surprised by what happened next, more because he never thought it was something he would hear from himself than actual shock. Memories of Tartarus flooded back and he emitted a shrill scream that knocked Annabeth out of her bed laughing hysterically. Percy was still screaming incoherently, but this time instead of just pure fear, it involved a string of profanities aimed at both the sabretooth and Annabeth.

“Fuck!” yelled Percy as he batted at the tiger on top of him. Eventually the large cat relented and turned into a decidedly smaller skeletal cat. Percy’s distress quickly turned from fear to something more akin to crippling sadness and guilt. With a trembling hand he picked up the small cat and brought it to his face. “No…” he whispered as Annabeth walked over from her side of the cabin. “No…” repeated Percy. She clapped a hand on his shoulder and he flinched, eyes welling with tears he’d tried not to shed for so long. “Small Bob?” squeaked the son of Poseidon.

The cat purred and wriggled out of his hands to nestle in his neck. “H-how?”

“I don’t know. He just appeared and scared the living daylights out of me. I think he’s been looking for you.” Small Bob purred again, the vibrations sending a pleasant tingling through Percy.

“But Iapetu—Bob. How?” The daughter of Athena shrugged.

“Maybe he’s still alive somewhere out there.”

“Maybe he’ll be able to come back. I need to thank him.”

“We all do, Percy.”

“I know,” whispered the Son of Poseidon, closing his eyes and for once not seeing the horrors of Tartarus, but the starry night sky to which he’d fulfilled his promise to Iapetus the night that they’d gotten out of that dreadful place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter for you guys! Sorry it's a bit late in the day, but I was doing a number of different things all throughout today. Hope you enjoy this.
> 
> The first hints of the actual 'crisis' are coming through, and Hera... Well, Hera went and did it again, acting without thinking. Hades and Aphrodite are almost at each others' necks. What do you think of the scenario?
> 
> I'd love to hear your thoughts, so leave kudos if you liked the story, and comment if you have any questions, suggestions, or just general feedback about the fic! It helps with the motivation, but I'm so into the solangelo ship I won't need additional motivation for a while. *blushes*
> 
> Anyway, you can also find me on tumblr, as: [Malkuthe Highwind](http://malkuthe-highwind.tumblr.com)


	6. Chapter 6

Zeus sat in his throne, rubbing his temples with his thumb and his forefinger. Hades had spent the last three minutes in a rather passionate diatribe about the laws of mortality and how the Isles of the Blessed worked and how lazy and decadent the Olympians were compared to him who did so much work on a regular basis than they did. The angry words had been directed both at him and at Aphrodite who was doing her best to get in a word every time Hades had to stop for breath. The other gods looked annoyed. Poseidon still looked slightly nauseous.

Hera was nowhere to be seen. He was probably hiding in Zeus’ chambers. His throne was rather lonely on the podium beside his husband’s. “Brother. I agree with Hades. We cannot allow something like this to happen. It compromises the integrity of the laws that have been set” rumbled for Poseidon, making some sense for once. Athena nodded in approval. Aphrodite bristled at the two of them. Love was never one to heed wisdom, and this was a very powerful bond of love that Aphrodite would do everything in her power to protect.

Dionysus was there for once. “I don’t see why we can’t let them have their fun! Nothing like two guys getting married! The party is amazing!” said the god, raising a can of coke, and tipping it to Aphrodite. The goddess smiled gratefully at Dionysus, though she noted a bit bitterly that the god seemed to be more interested in the celebration than the actual bond between the two men. She couldn’t blame him, but in the modern world, there were far too many like Dionysus. She didn’t like it one bit. Zeus, however, glared at his son. Were all his sons inept? Most were, it seemed, save Jason.

“I’m not going to get in the way of my son’s happiness” said Ares, and that was that. He didn’t profess alliance to Aphrodite’s side of things, but it was fairly implicit in what he’d said. Hermes echoed the sentiment, though his eyes darted worriedly from Aphrodite to Hades. The last thing the world needed was another war to break out. The last thing his children needed was for more conflict to bubble down into the mortal world from the Olympians. They may have vanquished their most significant enemies for the time being, but the one thing they could not vanquish was each other.

Things seemed to be drawing closer and closer to civil war. Apollo started talking about how poetic the love of the two demigods was. If the other gods didn’t know any better, they would have thought he looked a bit weepy. Hades glared at the god that would probably be the father-in-law of his son in the future, and he had to question, for once, the wisdom of the choice Nico made in taking on a son of Apollo for a boyfriend. Hades was fairly certain he would be _unable_ to tolerate the family reunions. His nephew alone was idiot enough for the entire throne room.

Zeus thumped his fist on his throne. The loud sound stopped all conversation and the Throne Room fell deathly silent. He regarded Aphrodite. He regarded his irate brother. No one was thinking rationally. However, Poseidon had made the most pragmatic observation from the onset of the entire damn thing. Athena was smiling almost proudly at her father. She knew what Zeus was thinking. Aphrodite’s glare made it clear to the King that if anything short of miraculous happened within the next few moments, that there _will_ probably be another Trojan war on the horizon. “Poseidon is right. For once.”

The Sea-God glowered at his younger brother, but he was still reeling from the Hera reveal and a bit indisposed to protest. “We cannot allow this travesty to remain. I will personally take care of Hera’s punishment.” Poseidon rolled his eyes. His brother’s idea of punishment was probably fucking Hera until he couldn’t stand anymore, but the other gods on Hades’ side seemed satisfied with that. “And you have, on my authority, brother, permission to bathe the lovers in the Lethe to maintain the validity of their attempt for the Isles of the Blessed.” Athena nodded with satisfaction, as though she’d been the one to convince her father.

“This is unacceptable” said Aphrodite, eyes burning. Ares and Hermes were of the same opinion, now that their children were being threatened with having _all_ their memories wiped from them. “My King you know that this decree will bring war, yes?” said the goddess, venom dripping from her voice as Dionysus visibly blanched and Apollo looked like he wanted to melt into his chair. “I will never stand for this violation of my domain, Lord Zeus. There _will_ be war if Hades so much as touches a hair on their heads.”

The skies were darkening with the anger of the gods. The air crackled dangerously. Athena rose from her throne and bared her teeth in challenge to Aphrodite. “Bring it on, Aphrodite. We defeated you once at Troy. We _will_ defeat you again!” The Aegis materialized in her hands, and her robes swirled around her, turning into battle regalia. The palace shook as Zeus fumed on his Throne. As much as he resented Hades having insulted him earlier, this direct challenge to his authority was far greater a slight than what the God of the Underworld did, barging into his room unannounced.

Much to the collective surprise of the Olympians, however, it was not Zeus that rose and screamed with his notoriously short temper. It was Hestia, though she did not scream as Zeus would have. She rose from her place by the sacred Hearth, shifting from her Greek manifestation to her Roman, and spoke. The sight of Hestia rising as Vesta to her feet alone was enough to shut the gods up. She didn’t shout, nor did she speak with anger. Her voice was stern, but given how the goddess often was, she might as well have shouted and it would have had the same effect. “Stop this bickering right this instant” she demanded. Though she looked like a child, and the situation might have looked strange to the outsiders, she _was_ eldest among the children of Kronos and Rhea. They all held respect for her. The only one among the gathered to have any seniority over Rhea was probably Aphrodite.

Hades opened his mouth to protest. Aphrodite did the same, but Vesta glared at both of them in turn and they clamped their jaws shut. “Have you not had your fill of conflict yet?” In the deafening silence of Olympus that followed, Vesta’s voice rang sonorous. The gods averted their eyes guiltily. “The demigods have suffered enough. What kind of parents are you? They saved Olympus and now you threaten their very lives with the prospect of _another_ war! And for what? Because one of us thought that something so precious it happens so rarely over the passing of the eons was worth making even more special?”

Hades grumbled under his breath. Something about wanting to go back to the Underworld to take care of his duties now. Vesta glared at him again and he wilted. “Why do we turn so readily to war? Is there no way to settle our disputes without the threat of violence?” demanded the goddess. Ares made some excuse about war being fun, but Vesta picked up an ember from the Hearth and threw it at Ares. The god, not expecting the rather aggressive action from the normally-meek goddess, sputtered as the ember struck him right between the eyes, burning a diamond-esque shape into his skin.

“You will all sit by the Hearth and a compromise will be reached” she said matter-of-factly. The lesser of the Olympians immediately descended from their thrones and sat around the fire, on cushions that had suddenly appeared there, looking rather nervous for a moment before suddenly relaxing. “ _All_ of you. Or I swear on the River Styx I will pull you by your ears to the Hearth myself.” Olympus rumbled around them as the oath took. Begrudgingly, the Big Three, Athena, and Aphrodite did as Vesta demanded. When the goddess joined their ring around the Sacred Fire, a feeling of calm washed over all of them.

Zeus was the first to speak, after a long sigh. “Sister is correct, Hades. What can be done to appease you?” The God of the Underworld was visibly uncomfortable where he sat, unused to being so close to his Olympian family. There was, however, an indisputable air of peace about Hades that was never there normally. Hestia really had an effect on all of them. Zeus had to respect that power, although he likely would have felt more like punching someone in the face rather than come up with a compromise that undermined his absolute authority somewhat.

Hades sighed. There _was_ one way, and he had really been thinking about secretly doing it because he _did_ admire the resilience of the love between the two demigods. He would have been the one to do it, of course, but now that the other gods were involved, he probably wouldn’t get to. That didn’t mean that what he wanted to happen wouldn’t happen, as it still could, but only if the others accepted it as suitable recourse. The Lord of the Dead pinched the bridge of his nose. “Consecrate the union to Persephone and I.” Jaws dropped all around the Fire. Even Vesta seemed somewhat surprised. Only Dionysus seemed unaffected, but that was probably because he was in the middle of a swig from his coke can.

“Aphrodite?” Zeus turned to the Goddess of Love and Beauty who seemed to have been struck dumb by Hades’ proclamation. She probably found it intensely romantic that Hades wanted to consecrate a match made of love, so true as to survive lifetimes apart, to himself and his wife. Hades could have as easily asked for the marriage to have been dedicated to him alone, but he had asked for it to be dedicated to himself _and_ Persephone. There were happy tears in Aphrodite’s eyes.

“I find this acceptable” she managed to choke out, leaning on Ares as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Ni—My son will officiate the ceremony.” That seemed to make Aphrodite even happier. Nico di Angelo and Will Solace were quickly becoming her favourite couple. Except, of course, for the other pair of demigods whose unwitting union had very nearly incited civil war between the Olympians again. Well, them and Percy and Annabeth, though the latter deserved some peace, and that probably meant being purposefully ignored.

“Now hold on just a minute!” said a notably male voice from by the Thrones. Zeus turned around and placed his face in his hands as soon as he did. Hera had finally showed up, and he was still in his suit, briefcase at his side. “This is about marriage! Did no one think to, I don’t know, ask _me?_ ” The King Consort descended the from the dais as he straightened his tie, stopping to stand a wary distance away from the Hearth.

“And who do you think you are to presume that we need to consult you on this matter?” asked Hades, still physically wanting of the beautiful god, but more than a little rebuffed by the attitude. It seemed, to Zeus, that his immediate family was incapable of using their godly powers when it came to mundane things. Hades didn’t seem to realize that the god he was talking so sternly to was Hera. The tone of Hades’ voice was evidently one of rebuke. It was almost as though the God of the Underworld was telling Hera that it was a private matter for the major Olympians.

“Brother” said Zeus warningly. “Brethren.” He said, addressing the other Olympians who were either confused or amused. Some of them, at least, had pierced through the veil shrouding Hera. Poseidon looked as though he was about to throw up. Apollo was white-faced. Hestia, on the other hand, was grinning widely. “That is my dear husband.” Ares’ jaw dropped, while Hephaestus looked pleased because _this_ Hera actually genuinely loved him. “Yes, Hera has changed… A little.”

It was Poseidon’s turn to look scandalized. Had his hard-ass brother just made a joke? This was legendary! He clapped Zeus on the shoulder, making the King look at him ruefully. “That’s unacceptable, Hades! What would Nico wear?” Hades’ mouth worked wordlessly for a moment, both from shock and out of absolute confusion as to why the question was even being asked. He was more pale than usual. Zeus found his brother’s expression hilarious, but he kept his laughter internally, save for the slight turning up of the corners of his lips. “Black robes with skulls and underworld decor and gold, I suppose?” The God of the Underworld looked to Zeus for help, but he just shrugged. Tentatively, Hades nodded his assent at Hera. Wrong answer.

The God of Marriage — apparently, and appropriately now a wedding planner — launched into a rant about how the Underworld was such a dreadful and dreary place and that something like that was never appropriate for a marriage that was supposed to be a very joyful occasion. He also went on to note that he’d already picked out the colours for all the groomsmen, the tablecloths, and flower arrangements as well as assorted decor. There was already a lot of other colours incompatible with gold involved in the motif. Adding black on top of that would be an affront to fashion. Aphrodite reluctantly found herself nodding along to what Hera said about colours.

Zeus rolled his eyes and rose to his feet. He was going to regret this later, letting go of his stern facade, but there was probably only one way to shut his husband up. Hera shrank away a little as his godly husband crossed the distance between them and stood almost nose-to-nose with him. The other gods watched, rapt. Hera kept talking about how it would be such a bad idea to introduce Underworld themes to the overall aesthetic of the ceremony, and how the Underworld was again inappropriate for weddings, eyes darting over the God of the Sky that loomed over him and the other Olympians gathered around the Hearth. It wasn’t until Zeus locked lips with Hera that he finally shut up to the sound of cheering and applause from the other Olympians who had grown tired of his diatribe less than a minute into it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter! There'll be more to come. I actually have a lot of this story already written out.
> 
> Anyway, as always, kudos if you liked it, comment if you want to provide feedback. I'd love to hear it. <3.


	7. Chapter 7

_“Only two days ago, the Supreme Court of the United States o f America delivered a landmark ruling that has left many staunch religious groups infuriated. The protests have yet to cease from the fundamentalist regions of the country, but the LGBT community has been celebrating almost non-stop since then. In a near-unanimous vote, the Justices voted to strike down, federally, any laws preventing the marriage of any two or more consenting parties. While the ramifications for the polygamous community are still unclear, same-sex couples are now free to marry in all states, and are federally recognized.”_

Will looked up from his coffee at the woman on the screen. She was talking in that flat newscaster voice, as though she wasn’t all that thrilled about what had just happened. “Hey, I didn’t know that.” Nico shrugged. He hadn’t known either. He’d just wanted to take Will out to lunch somewhere other than camp. It wasn’t like anyone could stop them from shadow-travelling anyway. And Nico was fairly certain his father didn’t mind the use of the Underworld funds so long as Nico didn’t invest them in some ill-thought start-up. The young man shuddered. He did _not_ want to get the finance talk from his father.

The two counsellors were currently in a small café not too far from Long-Island, but still outside of camp. Nico explained to Will that he’d been wanting to go and watch a particular movie for some time, but he didn’t want to go at night because monsters might ruin things. Broad daylight was much easier for them. “Isn’t that nice, though? We can finally marry!” Nico choked on his sandwich. He had not been supposed to have more than a few bites of food, but the son of Apollo forced it on him.

The excuse had been something about Nico needing to be at a better weight for his age and height. But that wasn’t the important thing at the moment. What was it that Will had said? _Marry_? Nico’s face was probably a number of different and clashing shades of pink, because he was getting strange looks from the rest of the patrons of the little establishment. “W-What?!” came the outburst from the son of Hades. What followed was a fit of coughing as he tried, with varying success, to force the piece he’d been chewing down his throat.

“Yeah! We can marry now! That’s what the newscast is all about. Gay men can get married now!” Nico looked at Will as though the golden-haired demigod had gone absolutely insane. His eyes were wide, and he was at a loss for what to say. Was Will proposing to him? So soon after they began dating? What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to say? The son of Apollo had been looking at the newscast, and listening intently. It took him a minute to notice the tense silence coming from the other end of the table.

“O-oh!” said Will, turning pink himself as he realized what he had sounded like. “I-I don’t want to marry you!” Nico looked confused then hurt. He bit his lower lip. “N-No! I’m sorry. I’m fucking this up. I-I mean I don’t want to marry you yet! I was just saying it’s possible now.” Relieved and honestly happy that his boyfriend implied that he wanted to marry Nico but not at that moment just yet, the Italian stuck his tongue out at Will, while twisting his skull ring around his finger underneath the table.

The channel had been changed. It was still a newscast but this reporter seemed far more upbeat. It looked like someone had had enough of the casually disapproving anchor of the other channel. _“Ten years ago, this ruling would have been unprecedented. The gay-rights advocates would have never thought they could get this far so fast. Nevertheless, today, just two days after the ruling was approved, alternative marriage legislation has already been submitted for review. In international news, a number of South American countries and a number of Asian countries have also taken steps to challenge constitutional bans on alternative marriage.”_

_“With the momentous victory in the Supreme Court, it is evident that the ramifications of this ruling will be international. Already, Islamic and Islamist states are coming under fire from constituents to revise penal laws about non-traditional marriage. The United Nations has described the ruling as ‘a leap forward’ for human rights, and has expressed hope that in the near future, more countries will follow the United States. Human Rights advocates have lauded the victory as the greatest achievement of equality rights in the 21st century, and everyone, save fundamentalist religious, is looking forward for the years to come.”_

Both young boys turned away from the newscast as the advertisements rolled in. “What makes you think _I_ want to marry _you,_ sunshine?” teased Nico, flinching in surprise when he felt one of Will’s hands reach underneath the table to take his. “I mean, you’re annoying. You force me to eat a lot. You _always_ wake me up at sunrise. You _snore_. And your hair is too shiny.” The son of Apollo laughed, playfully scowling at Nico. “I mean, no offense, Solace, but I don’t know if I want to spend the rest of my life with someone like that!”

They had already paid for the bill, so Will slid out of his chair and off to stand right next to Nico. He bent down and whispered in the Italian demigod’s ear. “I’m pretty sure your cute little butt finds me irresistible, Death Boy.” Nico visibly coloured as Will walked off, laughing to himself. The son of Hades sputtered alone for a moment, his ears feeling as though they were on fire, before he stood up stiffly and ran after Will. He caught up to the son of Apollo soon enough. He delivered a sharp rap on the back of Will’s head with his knuckles.

“You know it’s true, angel” teased the older boy, throwing his arm over Nico’s shoulders as the son of Hades glowered at him. _He_ was supposed to win that teasing game! “And frankly, Nico, I find your cute little butt irresistible too.” If he hadn’t been red before, he was most certainly red now. If his father was watching, Hades was probably rolling his eyes in disgust. Nico felt so absolutely embarrassed, but the compliment, even if it was about his butt, made him feel inexplicably warm.

“Your beautiful face, too, angel” said Will, all traces of mirth and mockery gone from his voice. This one was a genuine compliment. It made Nico flush. He felt warm inside. “But most of all, I admire your courage.” The son of Apollo pulled his boyfriend close. He was such a lucky guy. “It takes a special kind of demigod to survive and _live_ through half of what you experienced, Nico” The slight warmth he’d felt before felt like an all-enveloping blanket now. He liked how Will never failed to make sure to remind him that he wasn’t inferior like he’d always thought.

“W-well I like your hair, too, Solace” sputtered the son of Hades. He didn’t really know how to return a compliment. Will laughed and ruffled his hair as they walked down the sidewalk and spotted a cinema that was showing the movie that Nico wanted. “I-It’s like burnished gold when the sun strikes it as it rises…” He hadn’t thought it possible, but he blushed even more. “Sometimes when you wake me up really early, I try my best just so I can see the first rays of sunlight on your face…” Both boys were fully red at this point. Then Nico pushed Will playfully. “Don’t get any ideas, Solace.”

“You’re still one ugly duckling” The son of Hades laced his fingers through Will’s as the other demigod returned to his side after very nearly trampling an old couple because of Nico’s shove. “But seriously… You make me feel like no one’s ever made me feel before.” The son of Hades smiled genuinely, and gratefully. “If we’re still together and if we’re still alive in the next ten years, yes, I would love to marry you, Will. Nothing would make me happier.”

A grin plain on his face, Will wrapped his arms around Nico and lifted the other boy with surprising ease, laughing jubilantly. He’d not expected anything of the sort from Nico. He’d expected maybe evasion of the question, or at least a noncommittal answer. This was a promise of sorts, and he couldn’t be more excited. “I love you, Death Boy” said the son of Apollo as he pressed his lips in earnest against Nico’s. It had taken them some time to get to where they were, but it was worth all the effort. It was worth all the waiting. Nico sighed contentedly as they bought tickets with his father’s credit card.

#####

“I never would have thought…” said Will as he and Nico left the theatre. There was a very pointed glare from the son of Hades that told him to not go there, but he ignored it with a playful kiss to Nico’s cheek. “The great son of the Lord of the Underworld, capable of traversing Tartarus alone, wielder of Stygian Iron and survivor of being trapped in a bronze jar likes chick flicks!” A bright blush crept up on Nico’s cheeks and he elbowed Will roughly in the side. “Ow! I’m just speaking truth, Death Boy.”

“Shut up!” said the son of Hades, huffing, before falling against the golden-haired son of Apollo in a fit of giggles. “You liked it too!” protested the onyx-haired boy . Will chuckled and nodded as he wrapped his arm around Nico’s shoulders. “I wonder what the Apollo kids would say if they knew their counsellor liked chick flicks!” said the son of Hades, playfully jabbing Will in the side again. “No one’s going to take your doctor’s orders seriously from then on!” said the smaller boy with an almost maniacal glee.

“They already do, Death Boy” said Will, flicking Nico’s nose with a finger. “ _I_ don’t have a reputation to uphold in camp. _You_ do.” Just like that the tables had been turned again on Nico, and it was up to him to make the next move a strategic one. He had to beat Will at _something_. He cursed not having his mythomagic set readily available to him. He would absolutely _wipe_ the floor with the other demigod. He would have to see to retrieving his set.

Nico mock-gasped. “You wouldn’t dare!” He was hoping he would get Will exactly where he wanted to. The son of Apollo was dreadfully predictable sometimes. That wasn’t always a bad thing. It was almost endearing at the best of times.

“Oh but I would!” teased Will, pulling Nico to him in such a way that the son of Hades bounced off of his side.

“No sex for you, then!” said Nico with a discreet, playful squeeze to Will’s groin to emphasize the point. That had been his trump card, though his relationship with Will wasn’t defined by the sex. Sure it was often mind-blowing, but that wasn’t what their relationship centred around. Their relationship was built around their mutual attraction to each other, the way they complemented the personality of the other, the way that despite their frequent attempts to annoy each other, they ended up falling even further in love.

The son of Apollo mock-fell to the ground, writhing in mock-agony. “Augh! No! My weakness!” The two young men were getting strange stares from the other moviegoers. Nico decided it was probably time to get back to camp. He led a still-pretending-to-be-catatonic Will off to a random shadowy corner of the theatre. Where he made sure that the son of Apollo was holding on tight before the shadows swallowed them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... yeah. I hope you liked the chapter. Nothing like cutesy SolAngelo time to warm the heart, right?
> 
> Anyway, as usual, I'd like to hear what you think! Kudos if you liked it, and comment if you have something to add, have suggestions, or just questions you'd like to ask me. It would help keep up my motivation for writing this series. <3.
> 
> You can also find me on tumblr as [Malkuthe Highwind!](http://malkuthe-highwind.tumblr.com)
> 
> Now for something I haven't done the previous days, here's a preview of the next chapter:  
>  _The temperature in the cabin seemed to drop a good handful of degrees. “What did you just call me, Solace?” Will took a step back as Nico took a step forward menacingly. “Nicky? What am I, a dog?” There was a dangerous undertone to Nico’s voice that made Will feel a bit nervous, even if he knew it was just play._
> 
> _“Don’t ever call me that, sunshine. Or I’ll shove my foot so far up your a—” he’d pinned Will down on one of the empty beds in the cabin._


	8. Chapter 8

Nico stumbled into his cabin, with Will in tow. Of course the first thing his boyfriend does is grab his face and squeeze his cheeks and start poking him all over. “Are you alright, Nico? Feeling whole?” The concern was often touching, but it was getting old, having Will do this every time he shadow-travelled. “I know you’re getting annoyed. I’m just checking, Death Boy. I don’t know what I’d do without you” admitted the son of Apollo, a pink tinge creeping into his cheeks. Nico’s expression softened, though it changed back to a scowl as soon as Will started squeezing his cheeks again.

“Now you’re just being annoying” said the son of Hades, swatting away Will’s hands as he regained his bearings. “I appreciate the concern, Will, I really do. I don’t know what I’d do without you, either. But I don’t need you doing this every single time. I’m alright. I have my strength back. I can do this. I’m not fragile, Solace. You said it yourself. No one else could do what I did, surviving Tartarus alone. So please, I’ve been through worse. Trust me. I promise I’ll tell you if I don’t feel well.”

“…Alright. I’m sorry. I just don’t want to lose you, angel.” Nico smiled as Will pulled him into his chest. “But you’re seriously getting big-headed” teased the child of Apollo, to which, Nico believed the only appropriate response was another playful shove. “Aww. Did I offend little Nicky’s ego?”

The temperature in the cabin seemed to drop a good handful of degrees. “What did you just call me, Solace?” Will took a step back as Nico took a step forward menacingly. “Nicky? What am I, a dog?” There was a dangerous undertone to Nico’s voice that made Will feel a bit nervous, even if he knew it was just play.

“Don’t ever call me that, sunshine. Or I’ll shove my foot so far up your a—” he’d pinned Will down on one of the empty beds in the cabin. He was just about to move in to kiss his boyfriend after the idle threat when he heard the clearing of a throat coming from the direction of his bed. There was a strange man sitting there, the clay jar in his hands. The jar was evidently active, and the man was rubbing himself slightly through his pants. “W-who are you? A-and what are you doing in my cabin?”

“Irrelevant” said the man. “One of the Olympians. The newest, actually.” Will gasped and bowed, awed to be in the presence of one of the Immortals. Nico looked defiant, even though Will tried to put him down. “This is rather fantastic craftsmanship, Will Solace” said the god, shaking the clay jar in front of the son of Apollo as he straightened from his bow. That gave Nico pause. Will had made the jar? The son of Hades concealed a wicked smile as Will turned scarlet and stutteringly accepted the compliment from the god.

“Make one for me when you can, son of Apollo. You’ll know who to consecrate it to by the time all this madness is done” the god smiled toothily before turning to Nico and fixing him with a cold glare that made the boy freeze. Okay, maybe he shouldn’t have been too defiant. He didn’t want to get reduced to ashes in front of his boyfriend so soon after promising to marry him in ten years if they were still alive and together. “Oh don’t look so terrified, poor dear.” The god knelt by Nico and squeezed his cheeks.

That was when the son of Hades spotted the rainbow badge that the god was wearing. “Are you somehow related to Iris? And… if so… what on earth are you doing in the cabin of the God of the Underworld?” Hera looked down at the badge he’d been wearing and laughed. He could see why someone could mistake it for a sign of allegiance to Iris. He shook his head, however, to indicate the case. “Why are you wearing a rainbow, then?” asked the son of Hades, evidently suspicious of this new deity that had suddenly appeared to him and his boyfriend.

“It’s a gay pride badge, child” said Hera growing a little impatient with the impetuousness of Nico. “But that’s beyond the point” he said as Nico mouthed a silent ‘Oh’ to him. The two young lovers exchanged looks. They’d certainly never heard of a god that presided over homosexual love, so that much legitimized the deity’s claim to being a new Olympian. “Your father is going to come to you with a request within the next little while. I want you to deny his request… The fate of two demigods’ happiness lies on your shoulders.”

The Olympian looked down at the clay jar just as the scene shifted to Zeus penetrating Ganymede. “Why would I deny my father his request?” The god shrugged, eyes riveted on the scene. He looked a bit hot and bothered. “P-pardon my Lord, but I-I don’t understand!” Hera waved the son of Hades to be silent for a moment as he watched the divine member of Zeus plunge into his cup-bearer’s entrance. He groaned, the sound almost imperceptible, but just loud enough to be audible in the silence of the Hades cabin.

“Like I said. If you do, then two demigods won’t be very happy” said the god. “You and your colours don’t go well with weddings. _Especially_ this one. Stay out of it, godling, or you will find yourself in another mess so soon after Gaea.” Well, that was a thinly veiled threat. “Now I shall get back to planning this particular wedding. Stay out of it!” repeated the god in warning. Nico felt like accepting whatever his father’s request was just to spite the demanding god. Will looked quite terrified. The god huffed at the two of them before vanishing, leaving the clay jar on the floor.

The scene just finished, and the two lovers came almost simultaneously. “That…” began Will, somewhat concerned for Nico’s wellbeing. The other demigod was shaking slightly. He didn’t want to be told what to do by any god, other than his father. And now a god was asking him to do something contrary to the wishes of the parent that had so obviously expressed that he wanted Nico to be happy. He didn’t feel particularly happy at the moment. “That was something else, huh, Death Boy?” said the son of Apollo lightly, hoping to elevate the mood.

“You can say that again…” said Nico, burying the negativity for the moment, because he didn’t want to ruin their date. “Now. On to more pertinent matters…” The son of Hades bent down and picked up the clay jar. “You made this?” Will turned completely scarlet a second time as Nico started laughing. The visit was still nagging at him from the back of his mind, but he was willing to put that problem aside for now. He wanted to torment his boyfriend about what seemed to be quite a big secret. “When did you get the time? And how did you not get caught?”

Will squirmed under the scrutiny. “A-a-a…” he stuttered, unable to form intelligible words. This was one of his best-kept secrets. He didn’t really think he would have to reveal it so soon to Nico. He would have… eventually. He just didn’t want to admit to making erotic art, much less straight up ancient greek pornography on clay jars. “I-I-I…” He looked hastily at Nico, then at the door, and decided he would try to make a run for it. He ended up running into Nico, sending them both crashing against the cabin door.

“S-sorry!” Surprisingly the clay jar had survived the crash and was beginning to play the scene all over again. Nico had let go of it, so Will pushed it roughly to the side so he wouldn’t have to see the scene play out. “Y-yes… Yes I did…” he said, face feeling like it was on fire. “I… I do it when no one’s watching…” Nico rolled his eyes. Of course. How else would he do it without the entire camp finding out? “A-anyway! I-I have a few… I… I was ashamed of it.”

Will hung his head in defeat, but was surprised when he felt Nico’s hand cup his chin and raise his head to kiss his lips. “I liked it” said Nico, blushing demurely, even though the next words that came out of his mouth were anything but. “Especially what came after” Neither boy could resist chuckling at the double entendre of the statement. “H-h…” Nico paused, trying to think of the best way to frame the question. “Have you made one recently?” Truth be told, he had, though he didn’t know whether or not he should bring it up with his boyfriend for risk of things getting awkward.

He was more than a little obsessed with Nico at the moment. “Y-yeah” he admitted, unable to find it in his heart to lie to those somehow-innocent eyes that had seen so much. “B-but it’s a secret!” The son of Hades didn’t have to look down to know that Will was thinking about that newest jar of his. Nico could feel the insistent hardness pressing against his thigh. He was pinned against the door by Will. He didn’t exactly have any _choice_ in the matter. That being said, neither did Will, because Nico’s own length was responding in kind.

“A secret, hmm?” teased Nico, pushing against Will and reversing their positions so that for once, he was the one in a position of power during their more intimate moments. Just because Will was a child of the sun, and he of the underworld, didn’t mean that the former would always be on top. Nico would have his day, but he would have it fairly. For now, he was going to tease the secret out of his boyfriend. “Why don’t you tell, me, Will? Unless you’re secretly a gorgon, I won’t mind…”

Will opened his mouth to protest. “Actually… Even if you were a gorgon, I don’t think much would change.” The pout that Will saw fit to grace Nico with would have made a duck blush. Nico grinned. Will lightly smacked him on the arm, but he pressed himself harder against his boyfriend, and Will’s arms fell limply against his side. “Come on, Will… Tell me… It’s alright. I won’t mind.” The son of Apollo groaned and rolled his eyes. He couldn’t believe he was going to admit this to the son of Hades, but he was about to.

“Okay. Okay. Fine” managed the son of Apollo. Gods, his boyfriend could get quite flirty when he wanted to be. He didn’t think Nico would do anything of the sort unprovoked, much less in public. This was a side of Nico di Angelo that only Will Solace and whatever perverted god was probably watching, was privy to. Satisfied that he’d managed to extract a confession from his lover, Nico let Will go and watched, slightly concerned as the son of Apollo slid to the floor, feeling every bit as self-conscious as Nico had long ago when he was new to Camp Half-Blood.

“I made one of you and me, okay?” said the golden-haired demigod, averting his eyes shamefully. What he did not expect was the sound of pure, unadulterated want that the confession managed to rip out of Nico. He looked back up and saw the other demigod starting at him, mouth slightly agape, eyes dilated, and face absolutely, entirely red. “N-Nico? A-are you alright?” he asked, a bit concerned. He could have sworn he saw Nico’s dick pulse in his pants. He wouldn’t have been surprised. He confession had aroused him more than he realized as well.

“Gods” breathed out the stunned son of Hades as he knelt down and captured Will’s lips in a needy, passionate kiss. “Gods that is so hot, Will” he groaned as he toyed with himself through the fabric of his pants. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Nico was practically all-over the son of Apollo, kissing every inch of exposed skin he could find. To the son of Hades’ credit, for being a rather unexperienced boy at this sex thing, he was learning quite fast. Will had done a little fooling around, but that didn’t need to be known just yet.

“B-because it’s not done yet…” panted the golden-haired son of the Sun-God. “I-I’m still working on a scene where you jerk off for me” Nico groaned. He looked like he was about to blow his load just imagining it. Goodness. If he’d known the son of Hades secretly harboured a fetish for being on a pornographic clay jar, he would have done it earlier and showed it to Nico. From the way the son of Hades was squirming on top of him, making his cock tingle in his pants, he just _knew_ he was in for a good night.

Nico blushed even harder and stuttered out something unintelligible. Will asked him to repeat himself, and the blond demigod could’ve sworn, Nico’s entire head was about to catch fire. “W-Why don’t you get it and I can give you a real-time reference…” he finally managed. It looked like Nico was very _very_ keen on doing this performance. Who was Will to deny him that? He looked down at his pants. Well… That wouldn’t do. “Please…” whispered the son of Hades, practically moaning the word. Will bolted to his feet and out the door. He _had_ to find that unfinished clay jar!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. So I finally finished writing the entire thing. That means more regular updates! I'll be posting a chapter every other day until I get to chapter 18.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm going to put this out there right now, I consider this the first draft of this story. I _will_ come back in the future to rewrite it. Right now, however, I wanted to finish it and then let it sit for a little while so that I could hammer out the kinks at a later date. That's not to say this is bad writing, or that I'm pushing something that I'm not satisfied with, no. It's just to say that this is a rougher version of what I hope, ultimately, in the future, will be a refined version of the same story.
> 
> All that being said, if you liked the story, leave a kudos! If you have any suggestions, questions, or just general feedback, please, do comment! Or at least drop me an ask over on Tumblr at [Malkuthe Highwind!](http://Malkuthe-highwind.tumblr.com)


	9. Chapter 9

Of all the foolhardy gods to make his way into Hermes’ place of work, it _had_ to be Ares. “Brother!” said the boisterous God of War, knocking over what was probably a pretty important stack of packages as he raised his arms in greeting. Hermes didn’t dare look it up in the system in case Ares disrupted anything else. The God of Messengers rolled his eyes and planted his fists on his hips. He was the more junior of the two of them, though evidently the more successful, judging by the building they were currently in. Hermes gave Ares a very pointed ‘out with it’ look.

“Would you not humour me for once, Hermes?” said Ares, a bit disappointed. The God of Messengers shook his head and pointed at the fragments of fine pottery that had spilled out of one of the boxes that Ares had knocked over. “Oh.” The War-God looked guilty for all of half a second, before turning back to his brother with a wide grin. “It’s just pottery anyway. That’s not what I came here for.” Ares’ eyes were momentarily captivated by a drone that flew by. “I will not stand for my son’s wedding to be consecrated to Hades.”

“I agree with you, Ares, but Father has decreed it” The War-God crossed the distance between himself and his half-brother, clapping his arm around the more diminutive man’s shoulders. “Don’t even think about it, Ares” said Hermes coldly. “Father may be in a far better mood now with Hera seemingly being much better for him, but he also has Hestia’s support for this plan.” There was an idle moment of thought between the two of them. Rare, for the trigger-happy War-God, but nevertheless, that was the effect of evoking Hestia.

“But it’s been so long since we’ve had a good long _war_ ” whined Ares, whipping out his guns — not his biceps, his literal guns — and brandishing them about in front of Hermes, as though that would somehow make the God of Thieves more open and willing to accept his proposal. It wouldn’t. It couldn’t. The War-God accidentally pulled the trigger and fired a volley off into the deeper reaches of the warehouse. Mere seconds later, fire alarms started going off. “Oops” said Ares, a bit apologetically. He put away the guns and put his arm back around Hermes.

“A good long war? What do you call that thing with Gaea?” Hermes asked, removing the offending arm from about his person and moving to take care of the problem. The fires were getting put out. At least that was a good sign. If he didn’t know any better, his brother was just looking for an excuse to incite conflict. “Look, I want the wedding to be consecrated to me as much as you want it to be consecrated to you. This is a first in history. And it will bring power to whomever it’s dedicated to. My son is involved, but I don’t want to risk their safety when Zeus has decreed that Hades is to be their benefactor.”

“Do you really think that Aphrodite will let Zeus harm the two?” said the War-God, more than a little angry that his half-brother had inadvertently insulted his lover’s ability to protect. “I want that wedding to be consecrated to you and me. _We_ are the immortal fathers. Why Hades? Because Hera did something stupid? Come on, Hermes. We can’t let this happen. And if it comes to war, well…” The God of War flashed a toothy grin. “That would just be fantastic, wouldn’t it?”

\----------

“Hey Uncle!” The God of the Underworld very nearly blasted Apollo right into Tartarus for appearing right next to him. He’d been deep in thought about the upcoming wedding as well as Nico’s happiness, and the last person that he had wanted to see at that very moment was the very same that had seen fit to appear then and there. “How are things in this dreary place you call home?” The God of Music seemed to be far cheerier than he had been the past little while, probably as a result of Zeus being far more lax on Olympus because of the new Hera.

Hades _still_ couldn’t quite get over how attractive the new Hera was, _and_ how he found the other god so attractive. It sickened him, though, apparently, not as much as it sickened Poseidon who still hadn’t shown up for anything after the time that Zeus convened the council and Vesta made an appearance. “Still judging the dead and thinking up punishments—” Hades paused and shoved Apollo away. The younger god had thrown his arm across Hades’ shoulders. He did _not_ like being touched. “—Why am I even telling you this?”

The God of Prophecy pulled himself out of the crater in the wall of the palace that he’d been shoved into. Well, that was inconvenient. “I forget you don’t like to be touched, Uncle” laughed Apollo. Hades grimaced. “Because you secretly actually love me, Uncle? And you secretly actually love the attention?” Apollo held his hands up innocently when Hades spun to face him. “No need to get combative, Uncle. I was just asking after you. My future in-law.” The Lord of the Underworld brought his palm to his face in an expression he’d adopted from many mortals.

“Don’t remind me” groaned the God of the Underworld. While Hades admired the fact that his son had made the promise of marriage contingent on their relationship lasting, and staying alive, he did not admire the fact that he would invariably be fettered to Apollo at _any_ of Nico’s family events. The Sun-God was far too cheerful for his own good, and Hades didn’t like him one bit. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration, but he didn’t like Apollo. “Why are you here, nephew?” he sighed as they turned the corner. He was not going to enjoy this.

“Well…” Apollo began in a tone that left very little to be hopeful for. Hades threw open the doors to his study and sat down, fingers tented, waiting for Apollo to finish. He didn’t even offer the younger deity a seat. He didn’t really want to. Did it matter? No. The Sun-God sat down anyway. Hades sighed. He’d wanted recognition, not his nephew following him around, gushing over their children and their future in-law status. “As you may well know, uncle, our children are having their merry way with each other. But.” Hades arched an eyebrow. “Why don’t I show you.”

Apollo pulled out a gilded mirror from thin air, pausing to admire himself in the reflection for a good fifteen seconds before realizing where he was. He smiled, apologetically and sheepishly at his uncle, before showing it to Hades. “I don’t see anything, nephew” said the Lord of the Underworld dryly. Then the image swirled into being. Hades impulsively closed his eyes as soon as he recognized what was happening. “Why do I have to witness this again, Apollo? I have no intention of intruding on my son’s private life.”

Apollo rolled his eyes and regarded Hades with a steely glare. “Stop being so old-fashioned, uncle, and _look_.” Tentatively, Hades cracked his eyes open and realized that Nico was pushed up against the wall, and Will was having his way with the smaller boy. Well, not really. Will was just sliding his hard, dripping member up and down the cleft of Nico’s ass, and the son of Hades was making noises that would have aroused Hades had it not been his son he was watching. “Now, as you may well notice—” Hades silenced Apollo with a wave of a hand as he watched Nico submit willingly to the son of Apollo. He didn’t like that one bit.

“This is unacceptable!” Apollo, thinking his uncle had noticed the same thing he had, nodded in agreement. “Absolutely unacceptable. I thought I trained him better than this!” Okay, that part was weird, to the God of Prophecy. Trained Nico? What the hell was that supposed to mean? “He should be the one taking that Solace boy, not the other way around!” Hades thumped his fist on the table. Ah, the pride of fathers indeed. That wasn’t what Apollo was miffed about, but it seemed to be the only thing Hades was concerned about.

“Uncle. Uncle!” said Apollo, snapping Hades out of his rant about the shamefulness of being a passive sexual partner. “There is nothing wrong with being on the receiving end of the sword. You should know that. You get enough people down here who’ve been there.” Hades glared at his nephew. There was a difference between being impaled by an actual sword of good steel and being impaled on a cock. “It may have been so in ancient Greece, but that is no longer where we are, uncle.” Apollo then froze the image and pointed.

“Now if you observe my son’s rather impressive manhood—” Hades rolled his eyes. “—he takes after his father after all. Dashing good looks, hair of burnished gold, a smile that can kill… Definitely my son.” Hades cleared his throat. “Anyway. You will observe that he is not wearing a condom.” The God of the Underworld noticed for the first time and narrowed his eyes. “Now, I’m fairly sure I told him never to practice unsafe sex. Besides. It’s common medical knowledge that he should. So. The only possible reason he’s not wearing protection is that he doesn’t have any. What are we as godly parents supposed to do?”

“You aren’t suggesting what I think you’re suggesting, nephew.” Hades had to submit to Apollo’s earlier point. In ancient Greece, perhaps, being passive was more of an insult. In the world of today, it wasn’t. He had to accept that. It was true. He still didn’t like his son being at the mercy of another boy, but that was more his isolationist thinking. In any case, he did not like what the Sun-God was suggesting. It was one thing to spy on his child without Nico knowing. It was another to appear for intervention and embarrass the erection off of him.

“I am suggesting exactly what you think I’m suggesting. We bombard them with condoms until the message gets ingrained. Also, we give them _the_ talk.” Hades buried his face in his hands. Just as he thought that his life could not get any worse. It had gotten better after finally getting a throne on Olympus, but it had meant spending more time with his stupid nephew who seemed to be growing dumber by the day. “What do you say, Uncle? Is that not the responsible thing to do?”

“No, Apollo. How is scarring your child for life with a fear of having sex without protection even remotely responsible?” His nephew’s notions of either of those words were quite… avant-garde. That was putting it nicely. “Then again, I suppose a god of your calibre wouldn’t know a thing about responsibility…” Hades sighed. “Besides. Given that they obviously look like they know what they’re doing aside from the mater of protection, they obviously know how to have sex already. As for protection, you are right. Something must be done.” Hades had had an idea about how to get rid of Apollo and solve the problem at the same time.

“How about you go up to your son and give him a pack of condoms and remind him of protection?” Apollo’s face brightened and he smiled. “Go on. Before they do anything further.” The God of Prophecy vanished the next instant with his mirror, and Hades was left in glorious silence in his study. Oh it was great to be rid of his nephew, even if it was just for a little while. He was fairly certain that with the wedding coming up in a few days, he would see his future brother-in-law — he gagged at the idea — even more.

\----------

“You like that, Nico?” said the boy that was teasing him mercilessly by rubbing his cock up and down the crack of his ass. Nico wanted it inside him already. He was horny, and he was getting a bit desperate. He tried to bite back a moan and a whine, but was unable. His boyfriend chuckled and continued teasing him. Why did Will have to have a dominant streak? And why did Nico have to have a submissive streak? He was _still_ going to win their duel at some point in the future, but for now, he was to bottom.

“Please, Will…” begged the black-haired boy, rolling his hips backward to try and entice Will’s endowment into his entrance. It didn’t help. If anything it just made the member slide up his crack much faster. “Ple—Oof!” Will had stopped moving, and he’d pinned Nico to the wall entirely. The son of Hades was uncomfortable. His cock was being squeezed between his body and the wall of Cabin 13. “Will! Get off me! You’re compressing my cock!” said the son of Hades. His cheek was also pressed against the wall. Will seemed unresponsive. “Will, are you alright?”

“F-father?!” Nico froze. He wanted to melt. Apollo was there? With great effort, he managed to get enough leverage so that he could take a glance at the godly figure in their room. Did the gods not know how to knock? _Ever?_ “W-what are you doing here?” squeaked the entirely-embarrassed, red-all-over, and now, disappointingly flaccid boyfriend of the son of Hades. Well, he himself had instantly lost his erection the moment that he saw that his future godly in-law had appeared. No greater mood-killer than your in-laws walking in on you.

“It seems you take after me in more ways than one, Will. Especially in the one thing that matters. That is, to say, your not-so-little Willy over there.” As humiliating as the situation was for the son of Hades who was pinned against the wall and had only moments earlier been begging to get fucked, it was probably even more so for the poor son of Apollo. Nico could feel Will trembling behind him. The son of Hades, on the other hand, was laughing. “Anyway. I’ve noticed you didn’t have protection, so here.” Nico heard the distinctive sound of a cardboard box being passed.

“Be safe!” said the god. “Oh and go get ‘im, son” said Apollo with a hearty laugh before vanishing in a bright flash of light that briefly fully illuminated Will’s utterly horrified, completely-embarrassed, cherry-red face. In his hands was a box of condoms. Olympian sized, said the brand. On the front was a picture of Apollo himself in clothing that left very little to the imagination. The motto of the brand of condoms was: _“So safe, you won’t need to have your skull split open!”_

“I told you you should have bought more…” said Nico, mirth still evident in his voice, as he heard the mechanical sound of a condom packet being ripped open. “So, what say you, we continue where we left off? I’d like to get not-so-little Willy inside me…” The son of Apollo pulled away from the son of Hades in disgust. Nico laughed and threw his arms around his boyfriend. “I was just kidding, Will. Come on. Let’s finish what we started” he said as he raised himself up on tip-toes and kissed his boyfriend passionately.

Will groaned, unable to prevent himself from responding in kind. He uttered a begrudging mental thank you to his father before pushing away any thoughts of what had just happened.


	10. Chapter 10

Hades was sitting in a chair in her palace when she entered. The God of the Underworld looked entirely uncomfortable to be there. His back was stiff. His posture was closed. It always was, yes, but this was different. It spoke of being there not of willingness but of necessity. She wasn’t very pleased that the same god that had threatened the couple she’d been watching for such a long time — well, one of the couples, at least — was right here now in her palace. She wondered why he was there, and what purpose this visit served. “Aphrodite” rasped the Lord of the Dead.

“Hades” said the goddess, calling a chair to her so that she might sit before the god that had visited her at a rather inauspicious time. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” She still appreciated the dedication of the union to Hades and Persephone as she found that a suitable declaration of love from Hades for his wife, yet she still wanted that union, likely the first and last of its kind, to be sacred to her. She was, after all, the Goddess of Love. She knew well enough that there were others contending for that honour.

Aphrodite called a table to her and summoned upon it wineglasses. She picked one up by the stem and tipped it toward Hades as it filled not with nectar, but with a kind of wine sacred to the Goddess of Love. “As you may well know, my Lord, I am a woman married. And even then, I am a woman already spoken for.” Hades shook his head no. The goddess knew it wasn’t sex that he came to her for. She knew exactly what he wanted from her, now the question was whether the offer would be acceptable. Hades refused the wine.

“Apologies” said Hades stiffly. “I acted brashly. I merely wanted to uphold the laws that govern the living, the dead, and those that return to this world from my realm.” Aphrodite nodded, accepting the apology. Had it been a false one, Hades would not have gone through the trouble of travelling to her palace without alerting anyone. “As you know, by the decree of Zeus, the wedding to happen will be consecrated to myself and Persephone.” Again, the goddess nodded. She knew _that_ , too. However, she was doubtful the decree would be carried out.

She was prepared to fight for the right to be the benefactor of the couple. Whomever among them gained the favour of those two demigods will be bolstered in strength. No one openly acknowledged it, but Aphrodite knew that they all knew. However, very few among them had any true right to lay claim to the couple. None save for those already vying for their affection. Herself, Hades, Hera, Hermes and Ares. They were the only ones that had a right to claim the couple to begin with. For all the goddess knew, there were already schemes being cooked up.

“I will make you an offer” The Goddess smiled. She knew the Lord of the Dead would notice soon enough. Apollo seemed to have been all too oblivious to it, but Hades was intelligent. He was one of the eldest, one of the wisest. Apollo was just stupid for being a god, and one with the Gift of Prophecy, too. “Alliance.” But Aphrodite had not been expecting _that._ “Undo whatever spell you’ve placed on my son and his lover, and I will make sure that the wedding is sacred to you as well.” The goddess smiled and tipped back the wineglass as she drank the contents in one go.

“I… Find these terms acceptable.” So much for what Vesta had done to get them all together on this matter. It looked like war was the eternal natural state of the immortal beings that governed the cosmos. Yet, Aphrodite observed, through the millennia, nothing short of war could bring out the most powerful and moving of romances. That was what she lived for. Perhaps, even the threat of coming war on Olympus would spur romance amongst the gods once more. There would be nothing sweeter. “But my dear nephew, I laid no spell. I merely inflamed their passions.”

Hades thumped his fist on the chair and rose to his feet. “It is magic all the same, Aphrodite. My son is not ready for this” snarled the God of the Underworld. Sex could only do so much to cement a relationship. It was a lesson he’d learned through the eons with Persephone. Time was the great test. The stormy winds of lust could sometimes only serve to make things more painful. That much he knew. After all, he’d learned that the hard way. The _world_ had learned that the hard way. “Undo it and I vow on the River Styx you will be my ally and the wedding will be consecrated to you as well.”

The sky rumbled, and Hades felt the familiar tug of an oath taking in his essence. “Then I vow on the River Styx to fulfill my end of the bargain” Aphrodite reached over the table and shook Hades’ hand. The deal was done. Cosmos help them all. He did it for his son. Nico di Angelo had very nearly had unsafe sex. In Hades’ mind, that meant that his son had not been ready. “It is done.”

\----------

“Buongiorno, amore mio” said Will, stretching as he woke up from his slumber, and shook Nico — or at least tried to — from his. His efforts were met with a rather pale hand to his face pushing him away, and unintelligible groaning and mumbling. If he hadn’t known better, Will would have thought that he’d spent the night with a troll at best and a zombie at worst. That being said, Nico in the mornings was quite similar to a zombie. There was no questioning that line of thought. “Oh come on, Nico. I tried to learn some Italian! Work with me here.”

“Vaffanculo!” groaned the other demigod, gathering his blankets about him in a protective cocoon from the onslaught of morning wakefulness that was Will Solace. The golden-haired demigod had not heard that word yet, and given the context, he was fairly certain it meant something along the lines of _‘fuck you and everything you stand for.’_ As if that was going to deter him. With a single motion, with all the strength he could muster at that early hour, he ripped the blankets from the bed. Apparently he was quite strong, as with the blankets went the demigod snuggled into them.

There was a loud thump as Nico hit the floor, followed by a loud groan. Will had thought that would be the wake-up call for his boyfriend, but apparently even hitting the cold, hard floor was not enough as the son of Hades just curled up, perfectly content to snore the rest of the day away. “Nico!” said Will, pulling at the blankets again. Unfortunately, the other demigod’s grip on his cocoon was far too strong. The best that the blond could manage was drag his lover across the floor of the cabin.

Nico squeaked when Will got on top of him and started peeling off the blankets meticulously, like a doctor would soiled bandages. “You _have_ to wake up!” said the son of Apollo as he broke through the first layer of defense. It wasn’t without much effort that he did _that._ “We _need_ to go on a run this morning!” It was like wrestling with a greased-up potato. It wasn’t like Nico was fighting back too much, just squirming underneath Will’s weight, but for some godsdamned reason it was so difficult to get a good grip on the bundle of blankets!

“ _You_ need to go on a run!” answered a muffled voice from the middle of the blankets. “My alarm hasn’t even rang yet!” Will rolled his eyes and continued attacking the flimsy layer of cloth that Nico thought would protect him long enough from his determined boyfriend. It wasn’t going to hold for much longer. Will had gotten right to the last layer and was about to unwrap his delectable pile of morning sweetness, Nico di Angelo. The son of Apollo could almost hear the sarcasm dripping from his internal voice. Nico was anything _but_ sweet that early in the morning.

“Your alarm rings at eleven-thirty. You’re not going to hear it for another 6 and a half hours!” There was a muffled response that Will could only presume was ‘good!’ He shook his head and finally managed to get through and see his lover’s face for the first time that morning. It wasn’t pretty. Well, not compared to Nico in a better mood, at least. The son of Hades’ hair was splayed all over the place, and his eyes were burning with a hatred that could only be possessed by a creature of the underworld for an early bird.

“Buongiorno!” said Will, smiling brightly. Nico rolled his eyes. He wanted to punch the bright smile off of Will’s face, but at the same time, it made the butterflies in his stomach flutter. He was fairly certain they were no longer skeletal. They seemed so much stronger now that they were together. Both boys were naked, and the wrestling had, as any close contact between the two of them often would, inspired boners of the stiffest calibre. “That happy to see me?” said the son of the Sun-God, pointing at the pillar of flesh jutting from Nico’s loins.

“I could say the same of you, Solace” said Nico, grabbing his boyfriend’s member and giving it an affectionate squeeze. “I probably shouldn’t touch you without you wearing any protection. Wouldn’t want Apollo to appear again.” The golden-haired demigod turned utterly red in the face, and somewhat all over the body as well. His erection wilted in Nico’s hands. The son of Hades’ own hardness was also already gone. “Now get off me. I want to go back to sleep” grumbled the Italian, grabbing the blankets and pulling them to his chest. “Will!” he whined when the blond refused to budge.

“No! We’re going on a run. You need the exercise!” Nico groaned as he tried his best to claw his way back to his bed. He could’ve shadow travelled, but that meant waking up and concentrating enough to shadow-travel. It basically defeated the point of wanting to get away from Will. “Nico! I mean it! You need time under the sun! Doctor’s orders!” Nico dropped his chest to the floor. It was too difficult to drag his own weight plus the weight of Will on top of him back to the bed he slept in.

“I’m _already_ under the sun!” He meant it as an insult to Will’s weight, but apparently the blond had taken it as a compliment and blushed. “I’ve _always_ been under the sun since this relationship started. You’re a fucking ray of sunshine, Solace.” Nico grumbled as he lay there, unmoving. He wanted to try and knock Will off of his back. “ _My_ fucking ray of sunshine. You make every living moment brighter, yes. Except when you wake me up at fucking five in the morning! Now get off and don’t get any ideas! Gods you’re annoying in the mornings.”

If Nico’s strategy had been to make Will gush enough that he let go, it had worked. The son of Apollo was blushing furiously, trying his best to calm his racing heart. All thoughts of his father’s unceremonious visit had been pushed aside to process the words just then uttered by the son of Hades. Despite the time they’d spent together, Will still sometimes thought that maybe Nico was just using him to get over Percy, or to try and make Percy jealous, but he had not thought that his daily pestering of the son of Hades would extract such a sincere confession.

He leaned down and kissed Nico. It wasn’t on the lips. It wasn’t in the flesh of the neck. It wasn’t a nip at his earlobe. It wasn’t a suckle on his collar. This kiss was chaste, but affectionate. It was to the son of Hades’ temple. Then Will smiled that smile of his that was meant only for the eyes of his lover, so diametrically opposed to him, yet still so similar, so admirable, so lovable. The son of Apollo could’ve sworn his heart melted into a puddle. Nico himself was blushing furiously. It was his turn to have a dramatically increased heart-rate.

“Okay,” Will admitted, “Maybe you can stay in for today. But only today! And only because you admitted how awesome I am.” Nico grunted. Will got off him. The son of Hades was about to drag himself across the floor back to his bed when he felt strong arms move underneath him and raise him into a bridal carry. The son of Apollo, with his locks of gold, that seemed to glitter in the light of the dawn, placed a chaste kiss on the lips of the son of Hades, with his hair of onyx that seemed to come alive in the shadows that fled before the sunrise.

“I did…” Nico yawned widely, bringing his fist to his mouth to stifle it as Will set him down gently on the bed. “No such…” He snuggled into his pillows. “Thing…” he finished as he drifted off. Smiling, his boyfriend, and lover, pulled the blankets over him and made sure he was comfortable, not too hot, or too cold, or too near the edge of the bed. Will hated leaving Nico like this. It was one of the reasons that he insisted the son of Hades come with him on his runs.

He did not like leaving Nico sleeping alone in bed, angelic as he might seem to the unfamiliar eye. Will still felt a touch of affection whenever he saw the sleeping form of his beloved, but moreso than that, he felt a pang of concern. Nico might not always remember, and if he did, he didn’t let on, but he had woken up on more than one occasion screaming in cold sweat. Will had always been there. He hesitated. Maybe he should stay and watch Nico. No. He would only fidget and wake the sleeping demigod.

Maybe he needed to trust the strength of the son of Hades more. After all, that was part of the reason that he admired Nico. “Be safe, _mio bello angelo._ ” He said, using what little Italian he’d managed to learn from Google Translate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked those chapters... Sorry I forgot about updating two days ago, but I was furiously working on another story. This one in particular: [Three Days in Darkness](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2556674/chapters/5684321). It's a more angsty series of events than the ones described here in Music the Dead can Dance By.
> 
> Anyway, I'd like to hear what you think of this story so far! Kudos if you liked it. Leave a comment if you have any questions, suggestions, or just general feedback. I would love to hear all of it. You can also drop me questions on Tumblr at [Malkuthe Highwind](http://malkuthe-highwind.tumblr.com)
> 
> In any case, see you all again on Tuesday.


	11. Chapter 11

Will shucked his runners as soon as he entered the cabin. Nico didn’t really care, but Will wanted to help his boyfriend keep the cabin clean. Almost instantly upon crossing the threshold, the son of Apollo noticed that the interior was colder than usual, and it was deathly silent. He swore silently under his breath. This was the reason he didn’t want to go and leave Nico alone. He’d made a mistake. He could only hope it would not be a fatal one. The hand that struck his face in the next moment was his. He couldn’t afford to think that way.

He was the son of Apollo. He would not lose his lover so easily. He ran to Nico’s bedside and found the smaller, younger demigod curled up into a tight boy, trembling so slightly, he would almost seem still to the untrained eye. Fortunately, Will had spent enough time watching Nico during nights he couldn’t sleep for fear that maybe if he did, he would wake from the dream of having the other boy as his, to know that Nico had gone catatonic. He held his hand to the son of Hades’ forehead, biting back curses as he drew it back from the freezing cold.

Nico was not breathing, and all the joy in the room, all the life in the environment seemed to get sucked towards the boy. He’d never allowed a nightmare of Nico’s to progress this far before. The son of Apollo could only imagine what he was dreaming of to put him into such a state. The worry in the pit of Will’s stomach only grew when he realized that Nico wasn’t breathing. “Nico!” he cried out, trying to shake the other demigod from his terror-induced stupor. It didn’t work. “Nico!”

By this point, Will had screamed the name so loud that he was surprised the other campers had not yet come to his aid. He was surprised the very gods themselves had not yet made themselves manifest. Then he remembered that they were gods and that they had bullshit reasons about not interfering with the mortal world. “Hades, please” he begged for intercession from the god that he hoped would one day become his father-in-law. There was no answer, save for a rumble that seemed to come from somewhere beneath the earth itself. The tremor sent chills of terror through Will, but nothing could be worse than what he felt for Nico.

“You left him alone?” came the soft question from behind him. Will spun around, almost falling over his own feet as he turned to look at Hades. The god looked less angry than the son of Apollo expected. “Why?” Hades didn’t raise his voice, but the demand for an answer was evident. Will looked down at his hands. They had begun to discorporate. They had become dark and smoky. “He is losing control of his powers. I can lend you strength enough to take him where he needs to be taken, but I can intercede no more.”

“Because he asked to be let to sleep, my Lord” said Will, teeth chattering from the sheer gravity of the terror coursing through his veins. Determination returned to his eyes as he felt strength return to his limbs, and he lifted his boyfriend out of the bed. “I would not have left him if I had known… I didn’t realize!” A look of pure remorse fell across Will’s face, and the tears came without stopping. He was unable to hold them back. What little strength he had, he used to carry Nico.

“You did not know” said Hades, hand tentatively, awkwardly hovering over the son of Apollo’s shoulder. “And child, I do not think you ever will realize what my son experienced in the darkness that not even I dare traverse.” That wasn’t very much of a pep-talk, though Will realized he probably should not have expected anything more from Hades. There was, however, a certain kindness in the Lord of the Dead’s voice that did not escape him. He’d always figured Nico’s father was an abrasive figure if anything. He didn’t know if he was deluding himself, but there was a hint of affection in the god’s inflection.

Nevertheless, he did not have time to dwell. Nico still shivering in his arms, he dashed to the door, not even bothering to put on his shoes. He sprinted across the camp to the Big House. The Infirmary would hopefully have what he needed. “You will not die on me, Death Boy. Not for ten years more, and not for many more years after that. Do you hear me, di Angelo? I will personally kill you again if you give up on me now!” he shouted, tears dripping from his chin as he burst through the doors of the infirmary.

\----------

Hera cried out as his husband filled him with divine seed. Zeus lay panting on his back. Hera had been riding him for the better part of an hour, expertly making sure that he skirted the edge of fulfilment the whole time. It was the closest to eternal punishment that the King of Olympus had ever felt, and, some more primal part of him seemed to crave it. Needless to say, for the time being, he was spent. Long sessions of lovemaking like this definitely weren’t his forte.

Most of his trysts had been quick, just barely less than brutal, and to the point. His seed was potent. Oftentimes he’d walked away with bastard child on the way. Hera seemed to be confident that the seed would not take. It was a point that was hard to argue, as Hera was quite visibly male, and, as the God of Marriage assured the God of the Skies, had no female parts left in him capable of bearing child. Zeus was skeptical, as for some bizarre reason, it seemed that for a god, _everything_ could bear a child.

He had taken great care to remind his husband that he had bore Dionysus on his leg, and Athena in his head. Just because he was male didn’t mean that he couldn’t get pregnant. Hera, on the other hand, reminded Zeus that both situations, the babe had come from someone else, and wasn’t a result of Zeus himself getting inseminated. It wasn’t as though the King of the Gods would submit to anyone in that way at any point between the beginning and the end of time. His hole was to be completely virginal. Or so he thought. Hera had other plans for him, but those would be for later.

For now, the wedding of the two demigods was what they had to attend to with great detail. Hera pulled off of his husband’s still-hard manhood with an ungodly squelch. Zeus couldn’t help but smile. It was evidence of how well Hera had ridden him. His cock twitched with want for more, but unfortunately, it seemed as though the God of Marriage was already otherwise occupied. The King sat up amongst the pillows and regarded his husband as Hera ran his fingers through his hair to right the strands that had gone awry during their intense coupling.

“Rather impressive for a rickety old King” said Hera teasingly as he swung his legs over the side of the bed to stand. There were rivulets of white cream running down between those muscular, well-toned limbs. Zeus watched intently as Hera bent down, revealing the pucker that he’d hammered into as Hera bounced on him not more than a minute past. The other god picked up a suitcase from underneath the bed and placed it on a table that he’d summoned, seemingly from out of nowhere. Zeus didn’t know what to think of work being brought into the bedchamber.

Zeus noticed something strange on the chair that Hera then pulled up. It looked like an adult toy with a flared base, a thin section, and then a large part that tapered off into a rounded end. It vanished into Hera’s ass as he sat down. Was it for the purpose of keeping the seed of the King of the Gods inside of him? Zeus had to ask, but almost immediately after he started looking over Hera’s shoulder at a nigh-incomprehensible diagram, and before he could ask, the King Consort asked “Seating arrangements?”

The King made as though to leave, because it was evident by the tone of his husband’s voice that his help and input was expected. Before he could, however, turn away, he felt a vice-like grip around his manhood. He was a god. He could probably grow it back if Hera ripped it off. The thought of any injuring coming to this particular prized possession of his, however, made him queasy. Obediently, he sat down beside his husband and took a look at the diagram. It was a nightmare. Half the names, he didn’t even recognize. He noticed that on the table of the gods, Zeus and Hera were in the positions of honour.

“What is this, husband? Why are we seated in the place that should be intended for Hades and Persephone?” The hand had long since let go of his member to scratch out a few names and replace them. “They are the pair to whom this union is to be consecrated. They deserve the seat of highest honour.” It was a begrudging admittance, but it was true. “Even though we may be the rulers of Olympus, we sometimes have to cede our place at the head of the table for those whom the situation calls for.”

“Were you truly serious about that decree of yours, my King?” asked Hera, thoughtful look on his face as he observed the seating arrangement and moved things around. Zeus’ eyes narrowed when he’d noticed that Hades and Persephone had been moved to the left side of the place of honour. That was adding insult to injury. “You are aware, dear husband, that this union is something that will likely not happen again for a long time, yes?” Zeus nodded. “Whomsoever the happy couple bless with their favour will become more powerful.”

Ah. Power play. It was typical of Olympian politics, though not typical of Hera. “I understand this” said Zeus. The Fates had made it clear when he’d consulted them. Such a powerful bond could only serve to bolster a god’s strength. However, the crones had warned him direly against taking it for himself, as it would cause only misery. “But if I am following your thinking correctly…” Hera made a small sound as he shifted on whatever it was he had put inside of him to keep the seed in. “I cannot. The Fates warned against it.”

“Perhaps you cannot. You do not rightly have any claim to the couple” said Hera. He put away the seating plan, Hades and Persephone still in the insulting position. “However, as the God of Marriage and Manhood, _I_ do.” So much for peace brokered by Vesta. Things seemed to be spiralling out of control once again. Zeus knew better than to stand in Hera’s way. It wasn’t as if the punishments he could place on him would prevent the other god from doing what he wanted anyway. Hera always found a way to get what he wanted. Even back when he was still Zeus’ wife.

Perhaps this was the crisis that his instincts told him about. “What are you planning, Hera?” asked Zeus, curious. He’d decided he would remain impartial to the matter. He would not withdraw the decree, but the god could already feel that all the parties involved would probably break from the decree anyway. “I only ask that you proceed with care, that you may not bring ruin upon the demigods once again. Vesta was right. They do not deserve another war.” Zeus’ thoughts had turned to Jason. He owed his son at least this, if he could not express his pride.

“My dear husband, war is the last thing on my mind.” Hera leaned over and placed his lips on Zeus,’ making his immortal lover feel a little bit weak in the knees, like someone who had just met the love of his life. Hera knew exactly why they were reacting as they were. They were essentially newlyweds, and this was how they, in general, behaved. “But now on to more important matters. You must help me pick out new colours for the motifs.” Hera brought out a swatch of pastel colour tiles. Was he seeking to offend Hades as much as possible?

Not even pale yellow was there, not even the slightest hint of gold. It was definitely a power-play, and Zeus found his concern mounting. Perhaps his instincts of this being a small crisis were wrong. Whatever the case, he went with what his husband wanted. He was beginning to think that the Fates were drawing him into a position where being impartial would become all but impossible. Even gods, it seemed, had to grapple with the very same questions and problems that faced the mortals over whom they presided over. A common thread. Something that bound them together even past apotheosis.


End file.
